Marine Drone Self-Detonates at Romania’s Constanta Port

A marine drone similar to those used in the war in Ukraine self-detonated on June 5 in Romania’s Black Sea port of Constanta near an oil terminal, Romanian officials said. The Romanian defence ministry said there were no casualties. Authorities evacuated parts of the port and warned residents along the Black Sea coast to seek shelter.

Deputy Interior Minister Raed Arafat said two helicopters were deployed to survey the area for any additional drones. He said officials believed there was a risk of further self-detonations and described the steps as preventative.

“We are not panicking, the measures are purely preventative,” Arafat said, according to a statement cited in the report.

Earlier drone incident in Galati

The incident in Constanta followed a Russian drone crash a week earlier in the southeastern Romanian city of Galati, near the border with Ukraine, officials said. That crash injured two people and marked the first time in the Russia-Ukraine war that a drone struck a densely populated area in a NATO state, according to the report.

Border proximity and reported airspace incursions

Romania, a NATO and European Union member, shares a 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine. The defence ministry has reported 28 incursions into Romanian airspace by Russian drones since Russia began targeting Ukrainian ports on the Danube.

Officials have also said fragments of Ukrainian drones have landed on Romanian territory. The authorities’ response on June 5 included evacuations and continued aerial surveillance as they checked for further threats.

Officials have not released further details on the drone’s origin, and authorities said they would continue monitoring the coastline and port area.