Around 500 Romanian and allied NATO troops take part in Black Sea military exercise
More than 500 Romanian troops and military personnel from countries such as the United States, France, Canada, and Turkey are taking part in a multinational exercise in the Black Sea and in the Constanța military port, according to an announcement made on Monday, June 15.
The "Eurasian Partnership MCM Dive 2026" multinational exercise, scheduled for June 15 and 19, is organized by the Romanian Naval Forces, in cooperation with the United States Naval Forces deployed in Europe (NAVEUR).
The training activities are led by the 39th Diving Center and are organized in maritime areas of the Black Sea and in the Constanța military port.
"The Romanian Naval Forces are participating with approximately 300 military personnel and with a complex array of capabilities and specialized structures, covering the entire range of missions specific to this field, from underwater interventions and search-and-rescue operations, to air, logistical support, and data analysis," representatives of the Romanian Naval Forces stated.
Among the capabilities involved in the exercise are the maritime diving support vessel "Grigore Antipa", the minesweeper M 271 "Captain Constantin Dumitrescu,” fast intervention boats for divers, maritime port and roadstead tugboats, RHIB-type fast boats, an IAR 330 Puma Naval helicopter, as well as combat diver and deep-sea diver detachments.
These are joined by a meteorology and oceanography (METOC) team, the hydrographic research boat "Ocean 1," and a data analysis center for mine warfare.
Also participating in the exercise are approximately 220 foreign military personnel, with ships and specific capabilities, from the Naval Forces of Bulgaria, Canada, France, Greece, Spain, the United States of America, and Turkey.
"Designed to increase interoperability in the field of countering underwater threats, the exercise has as its main objective the training of specialized structures in marine mine warfare and the neutralization of explosive devices," the same source added.
The exercise comes after an out-of-control Ukrainian maritime drone exploded in Romania's Port of Constanța on Friday morning, June 5, after being discovered near a maritime rescue facility. Information received from Ukraine allowed Romanian authorities to evacuate the area at risk before the explosion.
(Photo source: navy.ro)
