Romania, Bulgaria, and Turkey have agreed to expand their joint operational force dedicated to clearing floating mines in the Black Sea. This decision was made during the NATO summit held in Ankara on Wednesday, according to a statement from Romania’s Ministry of Defense.
The operational force was established in 2024 as a response to the threats posed by floating mines following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Since then, the team has successfully neutralized over 150 floating mines positioned along crucial commercial routes in the Black Sea.
At the NATO summit, the three nations resolved to broaden their missions to include the protection of critical infrastructure, specifically targeting the energy sector, telecommunications, and underwater pipelines.
All three countries have underway gas exploration and production projects in the Black Sea. Romania’s offshore gas project, “Neptun Deep,” is set to start operations in 2027, positioning Romania as the largest gas producer in the European Union.
“Protecting critical infrastructure in the Black Sea requires a comprehensive, integrated, and long-term approach,” the Romanian Ministry of Defense stated in a recent announcement.
The Ministry added that the Romanian Naval Forces, in partnership with regional allies, maintain a permanent naval presence in their area of responsibility, including the entire Exclusive Economic Zone of Romania. This presence serves not only as a deterrent but also as an immediate response mechanism.
Romania shares a 650-kilometer land border with Ukraine, and Russian drones have frequently violated Romanian airspace. Additionally, floating mines pose a significant threat to key commercial and energy routes in the Black Sea.
The primary mission of the MCM Black Sea Task Group (TG) is to ensure freedom of navigation in Black Sea waters through surveillance missions, neutralizing potential maritime threats, and conducting related search and rescue operations.
Command of this task group is rotated every six months, with Romania slated to take command from July 9, 2025, to January 8, 2026. Currently, Turkey holds the command, which will transition to Bulgaria starting Thursday, July 9.
The minehunter M 271 “Captain Constantin Dumitrescu” will be active from July 9 to July 24 during the 11th activation of the MCM BS TG, primarily tasked with monitoring the maritime area of responsibility and ensuring freedom of navigation in regions where multinational training exercises, such as BREEZE 2026, will take place.
