Bulgaria’s Navy steps up Black Sea surveillance after drone incident at Romanian port
In connection with information about an incident in the area of the Romanian port of Constanța, the Bulgarian Navy has taken measures for increased surveillance of Bulgarian territorial waters and maritime spaces in the Black Sea, the Defence Ministry said on June 5.
The full capacity of the Ekran-M coastal radar surveillance system is being used to carry out the tasks, the Defence Ministry said.
Surveillance is also being carried out by a Panther helicopter from the Navy, which is conducting aerial surveillance in the Black Sea.
A Cougar helicopter from the Air Force is also ready to take on the task.
A Navy formation is conducting surveillance of the Bulgarian coastline in north-eastern Bulgaria.
Unmanned aerial vehicles will also be used to enhance control and surveillance capabilities in the area. A zone has been declared temporarily dangerous for shipping, and ships in the area have been notified, the Defence Ministry said.
The Navy is maintaing constant information exchange and coordination with the Romanian Navy, as well as with Nato’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM), the ministry said.
Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said in a statement on June 5 that a naval drone that was discovered on the morning of June 5 in the Civilian Port of Constanța, near the headquarters of the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea, self-detonated around 10.30am without causing casualties.
The area had already been secured and isolated by forces of the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Coast Guard and the Ministry of National Defence, the object being, at that time, evaluated and secured, the ministry said.
The naval drone is of the type used in the war in Ukraine, it said.
“We would like to point out that the object is not part of the Romanian Armed Forces’ equipment and was not used in the recent exercises conducted by the Ministry of National Defence in the Black Sea area,” the Romanian ministry said.
