The Varna Sea Passenger Terminal Thursday hosted the first activation of the Mine Countermeasures Black Sea Task Group (MCM Black Sea) under Bulgarian command, the Bulgarian News Agency (BTA) reported citing the Bulgarian Defence Ministry.

This is the fourth activation of the Task Group since its establishment in the middle of last year.

Taking part in the present activation are the auxiliary ship Kapitan I Rank Dimitar Dobrev and the minehunter Struma of the Bulgarian Navy, the minehunter Sublocotenent Ion Ghiculescu of the Romanian Naval Forces, and the minehunter Akcakoca of the Turkish Navy.

Attending the ceremony was the Commander of the Bulgarian Navy, Rear Admiral Kiril Mihaylov, the Commander of the Flotilla of Warships and Auxiliary Ships, Flotilla Admiral Radko Penev, the Commander of the MCM Black Sea, Navy Captain Pavlin Petrov, and the Commanding Officer of the Black Sea Tactical Countermeasures Task Force, Navy Captain Lachezar Ivanov.

"By the signing of the Memorandum last year and the first three activations under the command of the Turkish Navy, the three participating states set the beginning of the implementation of an immensely important initiative," Rear Admiral Mihaylov pointed out in his greetings address to the crews. "The Mine Countermeasures Black Sea Task Group is a shining example of a mutual commitment among Allied Black Sea countries to tackle the mine threat and ensure maritime traffic safety. The three activations carried out so far have paved the way of the initiative," the Commander of the Bulgarian Navy emphasized.

He expressed his conviction that, under Bulgarian command, endeavouring to improve the level of readiness for response to the mine threat in the Black Sea, the Task Group will contribute to an enhancement of the participants' capabilities and interoperability and will help boost the security and safety of Black Sea shipping.

The Mine Countermeasures Black Sea (MCM Black Sea) Task Group was initiated by Turkiye in August 2023. Its mission is to ensure the safety of sea lanes in the Black Sea in response to the mine threat that arose after the start of Russia's aggression against Ukraine. The Task Group was established by Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey under an intergovernmental Memorandum signed in Istanbul on January 11, 2024. It was formally activated on July 1, 2024 by the navy commanders of the three countries.