Romania destroys drones drifting near major offshore gas project in the Black Sea

BUCHAREST, Aug 11 - Romanian army divers destroyed two Gerbera-type drones drifting in the country's Black Sea exclusive economic zone near the offshore gas project Neptun Deep, Defence Minister Radu Miruta said on Tuesday.

The NATO state shares a 614-km (382-mile) land border with Ukraine and has seen Russian drones repeatedly breach its airspace over the last four years, as well as mines floating in the Black Sea across key trade and energy routes.

In July, Romanian F-16 fighter jet pilots shot down three Russian drones breaching national airspace over three consecutive days after dozens of such incursions in the more than four years of Moscow's invasion of Ukraine.

On Tuesday, a civilian vessel working near the Neptun Deep offshore gas project spotted the drones, Miruta said. The minister did not specify the origin of the drones, but said Ukraine had confirmed they did not belong to its forces.

"For the safety of the shipping lane and the works being carried out around the platform, the decision was made to carry out a controlled destruction by detonation," Miruta said.

"The defence ministry contacted Ukrainian partners, who confirmed that the systems do not belong to them."

NATO states Romania, Bulgaria and Turkey, which share the Black Sea with Georgia, Russia and Ukraine, have neutralised more than 150 mines drifting across crucial trade lanes.

In July, the three states agreed to expand a joint task force that clears mines floating in the Black Sea to include missions to protect critical infrastructure.

All three countries have gas exploration or production projects in the Black Sea. Romania's Neptun Deep, jointly owned by OMV Petrom and state gas producer Romgaz, is due to come onstream in 2027 and make Romania the European Union's largest gas producer. REUTERS