A marine mine would have exploded on Monday morning in the area of the pier in front of the Forum Hotel in Costinesti. The spokesperson of the Romanian Naval Forces, colonel Corneliu Pavel, said in the Jurnalul de seara show, from Digi24, that the intensity of the wind will increase in the next period, which could lead to similar situations.
“The hydro-meteorological situation in Constanța and the coastal area since yesterday is not very favorable, the wind blew strongly last night and the currents are on the north-east, south-west trajectory and here in Mangalia the current and the waves brought the respective log. Likewise, this evening, wind intensity will increase and reach speeds of 7-9 meters per second. So we can expect other situations as well. I would like us not to induce panic,” said the navy spokesman.
At the same time, Colonel Corneliu Pavel claims that risks of these events taking place have existed since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, specifying that, since then, the Romanian Naval Forces, together with NATO allies and colleagues from the Romanian Air Force, have deployed more research missions.
“There have been risks since the war started, last year, since February. In fact, immediately after the start of the war in Ukraine, the Romanian Naval Forces quickly adapted all their activity plans and from then until today we have been permanently and systematically executing aerial reconnaissance missions, both with our ships nominated for these missions and with our partners ours from NATO, aerial reconnaissance missions and with colleagues from the Romanian Air Force”, stated Colonel Corneliu Pavel.
Regarding the incident in Costinești, the spokesman of the navy could not confirm that the explosion this morning was caused by a mine. “We cannot comment on this matter. The divers who were present there were in the maritime district in front of the Costinești resort and they did not identify any mine in the area or any element that would lead us to think of a marine mine”, Corneliu Pavel added.
The General Staff of the Naval Forces (SMFN) announced this evening that, following investigations in the maritime space near the Romanian coast, no drifting sea mines were identified.
“EOD divers and a Coast Guard ship carried out a joint research mission of the maritime district near the coast of Costineşti, as a result of which no drifting sea mines were identified. Also today, the mine and net sweeper ‘Vice Admiral Constantin Bălescu’ (PM-274), an IAR Puma Naval helicopter and a patrol plane of the United States of America executed, starting at 13.00, joint missions of maritime and aerial research, in the maritime space between Constanța and Mangalia, following which they did not identify any sea mine adrift in the monitored space”, says a press release of the SMFN.
