Chief of the Romanian Naval Forces, Vice Admiral Mihai Panait said on Tuesday that the installation of a protection system made up of surveillance sensors for detecting surface, airborne and underwater threats began this week at the Constanta Military Port.

The statement was made within a meeting of the Senate's Defence, Public Order and National Security Committee, attended by representatives of the Ministry of National Defence (MApN), the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MAI), the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAE), the Romanian Naval Authority, the Constanta Maritime Ports Administration and Romanian Agency for Saving Human Life at Sea (ARSVOM), to identify solutions for the early detection of threats posed by maritime drones.

'We have taken important steps to equip 15 vessels with observation systems, electro-optical observation systems for both daytime and night-time, so as to increase the vessels' capabilities to protect against drones, protect against drifting mines and provide observation and early warning. (...) This week we began installing a protection system for the Constanta Military Port - the Constanta Military Port objective (...), to equip it under the Maritime Domain Awareness programme, and we are beginning its installation. (...) These are surveillance and detection sensors for surface, airborne and underwater threats, with highly capable sonars,' Mihai Panait said.

According to the vice admiral, this is just one of the projects under the Maritime Domain Awareness programme, which is being developed together with the US Navy.

'There are four such systems. The second is for the Braila Military Port and has arrived in Romania, while the next two, for the Mangalia Military Port and the Tulcea Military Port, are in the process of being transferred to the Romanian Naval Forces,' Mihai Panait said.

Moreover, the Chief of the Naval Forces also announced that procurement procedures have been launched for equipment capable of detecting surface drones with a small radar cross-section.

'We have launched procedures to amend the technical specifications for the procurement of equipment capable of detecting such surface drones, with a small radar cross-section. And I would like to present just two of these elements, with a market consultation for the procurement of an artificial intelligence device to be installed at the entrances to military ports, as well as the updating of the technical specifications for equipping Black Sea ports with special radars. We have made a request to our partners in the North Atlantic Alliance. I am referring to the Sixth Fleet, the French fleet in the Mediterranean and the Turkish naval fleet, to increase missions by maritime reconnaissance aircraft,' Mihai Panait also said. AGERPRES (RO - writing by: Mihai Stoica; EN - writing by: Rodica State)