NATO Sends Aircraft, Drones and Radars to the Black Sea
The North Atlantic Council decided on reinforcements in Brussels after drone attacks on merchant ships off Romania and Bulgaria left at least 23 sailors dead or missing.
NATO will send additional maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea, the alliance said on Tuesday, October 20, after a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at its headquarters in Brussels. The story is close to Serbia: the attacks happened off the coasts of Romania and Bulgaria, two neighboring countries, and one of the stricken ships caught fire near the Sulina Canal, at the mouth of the Danube, a river that also flows through Serbia.
What did the Council decide in Brussels?
Besides aircraft, drones and radars, alliance members have sent or will send intelligence officers and teams for forensic analysis of explosives. That was the word of U.S. Army Colonel Martin O’Donel, NATO’s military spokesman. The focus, he said, is on reconnaissance and intelligence sharing, in other words on identifying threats to navigation.
NATO’s chief spokeswoman, Allison Hart, posted a statement on social media saying the alliance had “already strengthened its posture along the eastern flank, including counter-drone capabilities.” She added:
“We will continue to stand united and make sure we are ready and able to respond to any threat and to protect our billion people.”
Which ships were hit?
The available information points to several incidents spread over a few weeks:
- October 13: a drone hit the Malta-flagged cargo ship Chelsea 3 off Bulgaria. All 15 crew members were rescued, and investigators are examining the remains of the drone to determine what kind of weapon it was.
- Last week: drones hit two chemical tankers off the Romanian coast. A fire broke out on one of them, the Comoros-flagged Yara J, near the Sulina Canal in Romanian territorial waters. The crew put out the fire themselves, and seven sailors were reported missing.
- Over the past ten days or so: besides the two tankers, at least five cargo ships were hit off Romania and Bulgaria. At least 23 sailors are dead or missing.
- In the Bulgarian economic zone: four merchant ships were attacked within a month, and two of them sank.
The figures in the last item should not be added to the others, since they partly refer to the same incidents. Romania recorded 35 unauthorized drone incursions this year, compared with nine last year.
Who is behind the attacks?
NATO has not officially named any country as the attacker. Military analysts, according to Reuters, assess that Russia almost certainly carried out the attacks, while Moscow denies responsibility.
On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry said its forces had struck three cargo ships in the Ukrainian port of Reni and two more on the way to Odesa, claiming the vessels were being used for military purposes. Reni is a port on the Danube.
What does it mean for ports and shipping?
Bulgaria was the first to ask for help. After its urgent request, a U.S. P-8 Poseidon maritime reconnaissance aircraft began flights over the Black Sea. Prime Minister Rumen Radev said allies had responded quickly to Sofia’s appeal and that more support is expected.
The attacks increasingly threaten the routes used by Ukrainian Danube and Black Sea ports, which adds pressure on grain exports and raises the cost of war-risk insurance. Bulgarian authorities, however, say shipping to the ports of Varna and Burgas continues without interruption and that no drop in the number of ships has been recorded.
