Romania's navy said it had deployed a ship and helicopter and sent divers to scout for mines along the coast after a pier in the seaside resort of Costinești was slightly damaged in an explosion on Monday.

Romanian, Bulgarian and Turkish military diving teams neutralize the mines that fell into their waters, laid by the Russian and Ukrainian military after the start of the war in Ukraine, writes Reuters, emphasizing the importance of the Black Sea for the transportation of grain, oil and oil products.

Romania's navy said its divers were still investigating whether the pier explosion, which claimed no lives, was caused by a mine.

Reports of a free-floating mine floating near the port of Mangalia are unfounded, the release said.

According to Radio Free Europe's Romanian service, strong waves and winds often carry the explosives to the Romanian coast. Western sources say Russia has laid additional mines in the region after leaving the UN-brokered grain deal.

Romania, both a member of the European Union and a member of NATO, shares a 650km border with Ukraine, hosts a US ballistic missile defense system and has had a permanent alliance battle group stationed on its territory since last year, Reuters recalled.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense has so far announced the discovery of two mines since the beginning of the war. One was defused near Kamchia last July, and the other near Irakli this January.

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