“Vice admiral Constantin Bãlescu” Minelayer returned home

“Vice admiral Constantin Bãlescu” Minelayer (PM-274) returned on Friday, 5th June, from the Mediterranean Sea, where it operated under the command of the SNMCMG-2 - Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group Two), in the first semester of the year.

The repatriation ceremony was held in the presence of the Defence Minister, Nicolae-Ionel Ciucã, and the chief of Defence Staff, Lieutenant General Daniel Petrescu.

Minister Ciucã appreciated the complexity of the mission – throughout the 140 days spent on the waters of the Black Sea, Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean – both due to the nature of the operations conducted and because of the context generated by the SARS-CoV-2 pandemics.

„The maritime traffic monitoring missions, the missions conducted in support of the NATO Sea Guardian Operation, the actions conducted to deter potential threats against the Alliance as well as the joint training activities at sea, led to the increase of interoperability among the Romanian Naval Forces and the Allied ones”, defence minister said.

Also, the defence minister mentioned that exerting the command of this important naval standing group restated and strengthened the prestige of the Romanian Naval Forces, the professionalism of the Romanian military sailors and contributed to the reassertion of our country as a security provider and stability pillar in the extended region of the Black Sea and Mediterranean Basin.

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Throughout January 16, June 5 2020, the Romanian military ship conducted specific countermining missions as well as NATO readiness and immediate response missions, according to the rapid Allied military response in contingency situations in the Black Sea Region, Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean.

“Vice admiral Constantin Bãlescu” Minelayer commanded by Captain Commander Daniel Gheorma, left for mission 138 days ago, on 20th January, with a crew consisting in 68 sailors and 17 staff officers (among which 14 Romanians).

In the 9.440 nautical miles course, the ship conducted maritime traffic monitoring activities, missions in support of “Sea Guardian” Operation and actions to deter certain potential threats against the Alliance, training, integration and interoperability activities at sea as well as representation activities to increase the Alliance visibility by means of official visits made in the SNMCMG-2 combat ships readiness capacity rebuilding harbors .

SNMCMG-2 is one of the four NATO’s naval maritime standing group which has the role of ensuring allied naval presence during peacetime and intervening rapidly when the Alliance response force is activated.

For the first time, Romania ensured the command of a NATO Maritime Standing Group, which stands for the recognition of the professionalism of the Romanian military personnel by the Alliance as well as our country’s quality as security provider and stability warrant in the extended region of the Black Sea and the Mediterranean Basin.

The Press Office