Ukraine war
Deadly danger in the Black Sea: sea mines driven into Turkish and Romanian waters
STORY: The Romanian army released footage on Monday purportedly showing the detonation of a floating sea mine in the Black Sea. The Romanian Defense Ministry said it had deployed a naval vessel with a diving team to neutralize the mine, which had been found in Romanian territorial waters. According to official information, fishermen discovered the explosive device about 70 kilometers off the coast of the country. Its origin is unclear. However, experts see a connection with the war in Ukraine. The mine was one of several floating in the Black Sea in recent days. Turkey had also warned of the explosive devices and reported sightings and detonations of sea mines. The Russian secret service said in early March that several mines had drifted into the sea after detaching from cables near Ukrainian ports. This claim was dismissed by Kyiv as disinformation.
Turkey and Romania have neutralized several sea mines in their waters. The explosive devices pose a serious threat to shipping on the Black Sea.
In the Ukraine war, sea mines in the Black Sea become a danger – even for states and people not involved in the conflict.
The Romanian Ministry of Defense announced that fishermen had discovered an explosive device floating in the water around 70 kilometers off the coast of the country. The Navy deployed specially trained divers to render the sea mine harmless through controlled demolition. The Department of Defense released video footage purporting to show the explosion (see the video above).
Two sea mines neutralized in Turkish waters
The Turkish government had previously pointed out the danger of sea mines. At the weekend, shipping traffic through the Bosphorus in Istanbul was suspended for several hours after a sea mine was discovered near Istanbul. The Bosphorus connects the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea and is an important passage for international merchant shipping. The Turkish Ministry of Defense announced that the mine had been “deactivated”.
On Monday, another sea mine was sighted floating in the Black Sea, this time off the coast of the town of Igneada on the border with Bulgaria. In this case, too, according to the Turkish Ministry of Defense, specialists were on their way to defuse it.
It is unclear where the explosive devices came from. According to reports, the Ukrainian army has laid sea mines off the coast of the port city of Odessa, among other things, to protect it from a Russian attack from the sea. The Ukrainian side has accused the Russian Black Sea Fleet of using sea mines. Neither the one nor the other representation can be independently confirmed. Neither the Romanian nor the Turkish defense ministries provided information on the origin of the rendered explosive charges.
Sea mines are designed to destroy enemy ships and submarines. They are either attached to the seabed (possibly with a rope) or laid down, but they can also float in water. There are different ignition mechanisms. They can be detonated either by contact or by proximity. The explosive devices can have devastating effects because the detonation can cause ships to sink.
Swell: Turkish Ministry of Defense on Twitternews agencies DPA, AFP and Reuters