A Panama-flagged cargo ship navigating the Black Sea to load grain for war-hit Ukraine was hit by an explosion in late December, causing the ship to trudge off course, spark a fire on deck, and leave two crew members injured. The Ukrainian military dispatched tugs to the site, claiming the ship hit a Russian mine in the Black Sea, the second such incident in as many months in the major trade route.
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the Black Sea has become a war zone, with mines littering its waters and skies buzzing with drones and missiles. Russian attacks have hit targets close to NATO members Romania and Bulgaria, threatening new shipping routes and scaring away tourists.
On January 11, Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria announced the launch of a joint force to clear sea mines, the first major combined effort among allies in the dangerous waters since the start of Russia’s 2022 invasion. The joint operation will primarily deploy minesweepers and minehunters, as well as helicopters and drones from the air. Officials from Turkey, Romania, and Bulgaria have said the new force is intended to be entirely peaceful and won’t bring any new NATO vessels to the sea. The Bulgarian Defense Ministry said the joint minesweeping action should be operational within a few months.
NATO has expressed its support for Bulgaria, Romania, and Turkey in a “trilateral initiative” to increase the safety of navigation in the Black Sea region, which is of strategic importance to NATO. The initiative aims to create a security belt free from mines to protect ships carrying Ukrainian exports. In response to Russia withdrawing from a 2022 UN-brokered Black Sea grain export deal and threatening to treat all vessels as potential military targets, Ukraine created a new shipping corridor to get its grain to market. In response, Russia has increased its mining and hostile activities in and around the Black Sea to thwart Ukraine’s efforts to get its grain to world markets.
The danger and prevalence of sea mines in the Black Sea became apparent in the weeks after Russia launched its February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Ukraine deployed mines to protect its ports in and around the Black Sea, while Russia was reported to have laid mines in the waters off Crimea, which it illegally seized from Ukraine in 2014. Ambrey has confirmed reports that Russia has also deployed mines around the Crimean Bridge, which connects Russia to the illegally annexed peninsula and has been targeted by attacks allegedly carried out by Ukraine’s military.
The Black Sea has been plagued by massive mining activities, with several ships being warned about the possibility of drifting mines. The Estonian-owned M/V Helt sank in March 2022 after striking a mine 40 kilometers south of Odesa. The Turkish Navy later detected and detonated the first stray mine in the Black Sea off the cast of Istanbul near the Bosphorus Strait, prompting the temporary closure of the key waterway.
A second drifting mine was detected off Igneada, Bulgaria, and deactivated by Turkish Navy dive teams. Romanian Navy minesweeper Vice Admiral Constantin Balescu detonated a floating naval mine near Capu Midia. On April 6, 2022, Turkey successfully destroyed a fourth mine.
The danger posed by mines is especially acute for Romania, as Romania’s territorial waters and ports are now of crucial importance and have witnessed record traffic levels. The situation worsened after Russia pulled out of the UN-brokered grain deal in July and began bombing Ukrainian port and grain facilities. In August, Russia held military drills in the Black Sea that encroached on parts of the Bulgarian and Turkish exclusive economic areas, making export routes even more dangerous to navigate.
The attack on a Panamanian vessel on December 28 was a significant mine incident, with the damage caused by the blast under the ship. Bulgaria has three minesweeping vessels, two of which were acquired in 2020 from the Netherlands for 2 million euros ($2.2 million). Romania bought two minesweepers from the UK in September 2023, declared of strategic importance by the British Defense Ministry. One of the ships, the HMS Blyth, was filmed passing through the Bosphorus Strait in December and renamed as the Ion Giculescu. Turkey has over 10 minehunters, with the oldest dating from 1998 and the newest from 2009.
Turkey has blocked Ukraine from receiving its own minesweeping vessels, claiming it would violate the Montreux Convention, a 1936 international pact concerning wartime passage of its straits. This stance has been criticized, including by former NATO Supreme Allied Commander James Stavridis, who argued that the Montreux Convention doesn’t apply to minesweeping vessels since they are entirely defensive.
Washington has recalibrated its strategy on the Black Sea, focusing on increasing regional security, multilateral cooperation, and strategic cohesion. Assistant Secretary of State James O’Brien stated that the Black Sea’s fate is inextricably linked to that of Ukraine and wider Europe, and increasing and ensuring freedom of navigation will boost the Ukrainian economy at a vital point in the war.
Washington’s strategic rethink was prompted by the loss of a U.S. surveillance drone in March following a hostile encounter with Russian fighter jets over the Black Sea. The Senate and House Foreign Relations committees submitted a bipartisan bill highlighting the region’s importance and the need for a new strategy. Concerns have intensified, with Russia indicating it may have revanchist plans for the region. Putin recently expressed nostalgia for the Russo-Turkish Wars, referring to the 1877-78 war.
Bulgarian Prime Minister Nikolay Denkov criticized Putin’s comments as betraying Russia’s imperial ambitions and should serve as a warning. The Kremlin’s immediate strategy could involve sea mines to target Ukraine and deter Western partners. Russians understand it is not in their interest to directly attack Western ships but to discourage them from entering the area and helping Ukrainians export grain. Both sides have the same types of mines, making them plausible deniability if a ship hits one of these explosives.
