Constanta: Romanian Naval Forces military vessels carry out surveillance missions in the Black Sea

Two warships from the operational structure of the Naval Command have sailed, on Wednesday, out of Constanta, in order to integrate into two NATO naval groups, which undergo surveillance missions of the maritime traffic within the Black Sea, according to a press release of the General Staff of the Naval Forces (SMFN). 

According to the quoted source, the King Ferdinand frigate (F-221) and the Maritime Dredger Lct. Lupu Dinescu (DM) have left the Constanta Military Port in order to integrate with naval groups, groups that will carry out missions in the Black Sea basin, in conformity with the measures established within NATO's Action Plan in order to increase response time. 

"The King Ferdinand Frigate will be part of the Standing NATO Maritime Group, whose command ship is the Dutch frigate De Ryuter, and will conduct joint exercises with Canadian frigate HMCS Ville de Quebec and Turkish frigate TCG Orucreis from Turkey, according to a press release sent by the Romanian Naval Forces. 

The Lt. Lupu Dinescu Maritime Dredger will become part of the Standing NATO Mine Counter-measures Group, SNMCMG-2, also composed of the Turkish mine hunter TCG Anamur and Maritime Dredger FGS Rhein. 

"The two Romanian military warships and NATO partners ships will carry out port visits on July 13, in Bulgarian port Burgas, and after that they will participate, July 16 to 20, in the BREEZE 18 multinational exercise, organized by the Bulgarian Naval Forces, in Bulgaria's territorial waters and in the international waters of the Black Sea. After finishing the BREEZE 18 exercise, training activities of the two NATO naval groups will continue with specific missions of surveillance of the maritime situation and will end with visit in Odessa port, in Ukraine, July 23 to 25, as well as joint exercises, at sea, with Ukrainian military ships," the SMFN press release informs. 

At the same time, at the end of July, the SNMG-2 naval groups will conduct training activities together with the Turkish Naval Forces, and the SNMCMG-2 naval group has joint exercises scheduled with the Romanian Naval Forces. 

The King Ferdinand frigate and Maritime Dredger Lt. Lupu Dinescu will complete their missions, alongside the NATO partners, at the beginning of August, when the celebrations occasioned by the Romanian Navy Day will commence. 

"Missions of awareness of the maritime situation and the surveillance of naval traffic in the Black Sea intend to promote mutual understanding, trust and cooperation for the common defence, and in this context, the actions carried out by the two NATO naval groups contribute to developing relations between the Romanian Naval Forces and partners from the Alliance," the SMFN press release mentions.