BAKU, Azerbaijan, October 7. The seventh activation of the Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Black Sea Naval Group began with an official ceremony at the port of Constanța, Romania, Trend reports.
The group will include the Bulgarian Navy’s base minesweeper “Shkval”, commanded by Captain 3rd Rank Svetoslav Andonov, two ships from the Romanian Navy, and one ship from the Turkish Navy.
From October 6 to October 10, the “Shkval” will participate, together with the other ships of the mine countermeasures group, in the multinational exercise “POSEIDON 25.” The annual POSEIDON series exercises are designed to improve operational interoperability in mine countermeasure operations and are organized alternately by the Romanian and Bulgarian navies.
This year’s edition, hosted by Romania, will involve personnel and ships from thirteen partner countries—Romania, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, France, Greece, Italy, Poland, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, the United States, Sweden, and Turkey—as well as two NATO entities: Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) and the Centre of Excellence in Mine Countermeasures.
At sea, the “Shkval” will conduct reconnaissance and surveillance of drifting mines and mine-like objects, mine countermeasure operations in designated areas, joint exercises, enhancement of operational interoperability, and improvement of maritime situational awareness.
The MCM Black Sea was established with the signing of a memorandum between Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey in early 2024, aimed at ensuring the safety of maritime traffic and countering the threat posed by naval mines.