French aircraft to patrol Black Sea after ship attacks
France has deployed an Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft to Romania at Bucharest’s request, to monitor the western Black Sea amid repeated attacks on commercial shipping.
Mission focuses on maritime safety
The French Navy aircraft has been operating from Mihail Kogălniceanu Air Base since October 18 and is scheduled to remain in the region until November 6, Romania’s Ministry of National Defence said.
Its missions aim to identify navigational hazards and strengthen protection for critical infrastructure in Romania’s Exclusive Economic Zone.
The deployment complements stepped-up patrols by the Romanian Naval Forces, which are using military vessels, IAR-330 Puma Naval helicopters and uncrewed autonomous systems to monitor the maritime area.
Commercial ships targeted in recent attacks
Last week, the Comoros-flagged cargo ship Khoryv was struck by a drone about 20 kilometres from Constanța, according to the source report. One crew member died and three others were reported missing.
The incident followed other drone attacks on commercial vessels in the Black Sea earlier this month, amid Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
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