Turkey: Discovery of the second drifting mine near the coast

A mine stranded from Ukraine was found Monday in Igneida, northwestern Turkey, after the first mine was deactivated Saturday at the Bosphorus entrance, the Turkish Defense Ministry said.

The ministry said on Twitter that a mine had been “discovered in Igneida near the Bulgarian border” in the Black Sea, and that the Turkish Navy had sent special operations units to the scene, the ministry said on Twitter.

The ministry added that the mine had been isolated “and an intervention had been initiated to neutralize it”.

The first mine discovered on Saturday was deactivated by the Turkish navy. A fisherman said he saw the mine 2 km from Rumelifeneri at the Bosphorus entrance north of Istanbul.

Ankara said it had spoken with Ukrainian and Russian officials and was continuing to “coordinate with them on this issue.”

Turkish authorities have warned of the danger posed by mines coming from the Ukrainian coast a few days ago, which could turn into an anomaly due to the storm, by publishing a message on the sea warning system NAVTEX.

Underwater mines must have systems that make them dangerous if not moored, according to the 1907 Hague Convention.

But according to the Turkish media, old-fashioned mines may not have such systems and pose a risk.

Although the mines found were of an older type, Turkish authorities did not specify whether they had such mechanisms.