BUCHAREST, Romania — Romania scrambled two F-16 fighter jets after a maritime drone carrying an explosive charge was discovered drifting near the strategically important Neptun Deep offshore gas project in the Black Sea, triggering an immediate military and explosive-ordnance response.
The drone was spotted by a commercial vessel at approximately 6:28 a.m. local time on Aug. 20, several hundred meters from the Neptun Alpha platform, roughly 80 nautical miles east of Constanța and within Romania’s exclusive economic zone, according to Romania’s Ministry of National Defence.
Concerned about the potential threat to critical energy infrastructure, Romanian authorities quickly dispatched two Air Force F-16s to investigate and secure the area.
One of the fighter jets fired its onboard cannon at the unmanned vessel, damaging it but failing to completely destroy the craft. A Romanian Coast Guard vessel carrying an explosive-ordnance disposal team from the Naval Forces was subsequently sent to the scene.
💥 Explosive Charge Found
Romania’s Defense Ministry later confirmed that the damaged drone was carrying an explosive charge.
Officials said flight-tracking information gathered by the F-16s, combined with evidence collected by the responding vessel’s crew, indicated that the incident involved a single unmanned craft.
Romanian EOD specialists successfully neutralized the explosive device, preventing further danger to the offshore platform and personnel operating in the area.
Authorities have not publicly determined who launched the drone or where it originated.
🇷🇴 Origin Remains Unclear
The incident comes amid heightened security concerns in the Black Sea following Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.
Romanian Defense Minister Radu Miruță said officials contacted Ukraine through a direct communication channel and received confirmation that the drone was not operated by Ukrainian forces.
President Nicușor Dan blamed Russia for what he described as irresponsible incidents and said Romania would remain vigilant alongside its NATO allies. Moscow has not publicly accepted responsibility for the drone.
The episode followed other discoveries near the same energy project. Earlier in August, Romanian naval EOD divers reportedly destroyed two Gerbera-type unmanned aerial systems found drifting near the Neptun Deep perimeter. Ukraine also said those systems were not Ukrainian.
⚠️ Energy Infrastructure on Alert
The repeated incidents have highlighted the vulnerability of offshore energy infrastructure in the Black Sea.
Neptun Deep, jointly developed by OMV Petrom and Romgaz, is expected to begin natural-gas production in 2027 and could significantly increase Romania’s domestic gas output.
For Romania, the latest incident underscores the growing security challenges facing the country’s Black Sea coastline.
The rapid deployment of fighter jets, Coast Guard forces and specialized EOD teams allowed authorities to neutralize the immediate threat without reported casualties or damage to the gas platform.
But with unexploded drones appearing increasingly close to critical infrastructure, Romanian officials face growing pressure to determine where the threats are coming from — and whether more could follow.
