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Romanian officials said no one was injured, but they are still investigating the circumstances after a Ukrainian sea drone exploded in Constanta harbor on Friday morning. Reports from Ukraine are blaming Russian jamming for taking the drone off course.
The Ukrainian Armed Forces confirmed they had lost control of the sea drone, which they said ended up off the coast of Romania. They reported that they had advised the military and maritime forces of Romania to prevent civilian injuries.
The circumstances behind the deployment and loss of the drone, however, remain unclear. Constanta, the main seaport in Romania, is more than 80 miles south of the border with Ukraine in southern Romania.
Romanian officials said the drone had been discovered at around 0550 this morning, June 5, and it had appeared to become wedged in berth 78 of the civilian port, near the headquarters of the Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea (ARSVOM) and other official buildings. The authorities ordered an evacuation of the area as a precaution.
They were surveying the drone and looking to deactivate it when it self-detonated. Port cameras caught images of a large water plume and possibly some damage to the surrounding infrastructure.
There was speculation, however, that the drone might have been using a form of automated targeting designed to hone in on Russian energy infrastructure. Romanian media said the drone was only a few hundred meters from the oil terminal in Constanta.
Concern was also raised by unconfirmed reports that up to four other drones had also been spotted. Romanian officials ordered up to 1,000 people to leave the Black Sea beaches. Reports said two helicopters and a boat were scouring the coastline. Romania said its highest-level emergency response protocol was in place, but later statements said that there was no further danger at this time.
"The circumstances under which the drone reached the port and any additional risks are currently under investigation," said Romanian President Nicusor Dan. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, also released a statement expressing concern over the spread of hostilities and the impact on NATO countries. Turkey had earlier this week again cautioned about the spread of the hostilities into wider areas of the Black Sea after reports of drone attacks on additional tankers.
Unsubstantiated claims in the Ukrainian media cited electronic jamming by the Russians. There were claims that Russia is intentionally redirecting Ukrainian drones to target NATO countries.
Constanta is a sprawling industrial port covering approximately 20 miles. It has 156 berths and is a regional commercial hub. Ukraine has used Constanta as an alternate due to its connections to the Danube when Ukraine's ports came under heavy attack.
Unconfirmed reports said that Romanian forces had discovered another drone on Wednesday offshore in the Black Sea. They also indicated that Romanian forces have neutralized nine sea mines, with a total of 156 mines having been discovered in the Black Sea since the start of the war in Ukraine.
Last week, a Russian aerial drone also went off course and struck an apartment building in the Romanian city of Galati, injuring two people. Romanian officials called on NATO to provide the country with stronger air defenses and anti-drone systems.
Fuente: Maritime Executive
