Romania's navy said it deployed a ship and a helicopter on Monday to scout for stray mines on the country's Black Sea coast after a pier in the seaside resort of Costinesti was lightly damaged in an explosion.
Russia invaded Ukraine in February 2022, and mines have since then been laid in the Black Sea by the combatants. Romanian, Bulgarian, and Turkish military diving teams have been defusing those that have drifted into their waters.
Black Sea route is vital for global trade
The sea is crucial for shipments of grain, oil, and oil products and is shared by Bulgaria, Romania, Georgia, and Turkey, as well as Ukraine and Russia.
Romania's navy said its divers were still investigating whether the explosion at the pier, which claimed no victims, was caused by a mine.
Reports of a separate mine drifting near the port of Mangalia were unfounded, it said.
Romania, both a European Union and NATO member, shares a 650-km (400-mile) border with Ukraine, is host to a US ballistic missile defense system and, as of last year, has a permanent alliance battlegroup stationed on its territory.