Ukrainian Navy spokesperson Dmytro Pletenchuk told a news briefing at the Ukrinform Ukraine Media Center on 11 October that the incident involving a Turkish ship off the coast of Romania on 5 October was not caused by an anti-ship mine.
“Investigations are underway to determine what exactly the incident was, but it was definitely not an anti-ship mine. There was some kind of incident. The Romanian side is currently analyzing its causes. The investigation is ongoing, so we cannot disclose any information. From our side, the only thing we can say with 100% certainty is that it was not an anti-ship mine,” Pletenchuk said.
According to him, Russia may lay mines closer to its shores, but there is no question of an increase in the mine risk in the Black Sea.
As reported previously, it was reported last week that the Kafkametler ship hit a mine near the entrance to the Sulina Canal, sustaining minor damage. None of the crew was injured. The ship was able to sail under its own power after three hours.
Earlier, British intelligence claimed that Russia may continue to target civilian shipping in the Black Sea, including by laying sea mines in the approaches to Ukrainian ports.
Meanwhile, as of 11 October, 19 ships had already left the ports of Greater Odesa through the new temporary Black Sea route announced by Ukraine. In addition, 20 vessels have entered the ports through this corridor. This shows that Ukraine's bet on creating its own Black Sea trade route without Russia's approval has paid off, and international insurance companies have resumed covering risks for ships operating in the region.
All vessels traveling through the corridor to and from Ukrainian ports are now tracked around the clock with Clearwater Dynamics technology until they leave the high-risk area.
