The minesweeping group consisting of vessels from the Bulgarian and Romanian navies has initiated the search for mines along the route of the new Ukrainian corridor in the Black Sea, as reported by Andriy Klymenko, the head of the Sanctions and Freedom of Navigation Monitoring Group at the Institute of Black Sea Strategic Studies.

A total of one Romanian and six Bulgarian ships are currently engaged in trawling operations, focusing on the coastal areas of Bulgaria and the adjacent zones frequented by bulk carriers.

Klymenko noted the swift action of the Black Sea neighbors, saying, 'Finally... Our Black Sea neighbors have impressively transitioned from the decision to create a minesweeping group to actual on-the-water operations. The decision was made just on October 12, 2023, during the latest 'Ramstein' meeting, and by October 16, 2023, the ships were already at sea.