A naval drone carrying explosives was spotted and destroyed on August 20 several hundred metres from the Neptun Alpha natural gas platform in Romania's Black Sea exclusive economic zone, according to the Ministry of National Defence (MApN). The platform is part of the Neptun Deep project operated by OMV Petrom and Romgaz.

The drone was detected at 06:28 and was later destroyed by one of two F-16 fighter aircraft scrambled by the Romanian military. MApN initially reported two separate naval drones, but subsequent statements from the authorities confirmed a single drone was involved in the incident.

Defence Minister Radu Miruță said Romania had used a dedicated communication channel established with Ukraine following previous incidents to establish that the drone did not belong to Ukraine.

"The ship sent from the Romanian coast arrived there and on the way it discovered another drone, which the military will destroy. It was established that they are not Ukrainian. After the incident in Constanța [when an Ukrainian drone was found deep in the port], a rapid communication channel was established with Ukraine. They were questioned immediately and they confirmed that they [the drones] are not from Ukraine," Miruță said in a Facebook post.

Foreign Affairs Minister Oana Țoiu directly linked the incident to the broader security threat posed by Russia's war against Ukraine, although she did not explicitly state that Russia had launched the drone.

"Russia's illegal war of aggression against its sovereign neighbour threatens the overall security of the Black Sea area, violating Russia's obligations under international law and international conventions on the Black Sea," Țoiu said.

She added that Romania had informed its Nato allies about the incidents and proposed to the EU the final concept for a future EU Centre for Maritime Security in the Black Sea, with one of its two headquarters in Constanta.

OMV Petrom (BVB: SNP), operator of the Neptun Deep gas project, said the incident had not affected operations. "Activities within the Neptun Deep project are proceeding according to schedule," the company told Ziarul Financiar, adding that the safety of employees and continuity of operations remained its priorities.

"We are working closely with the Romanian authorities, including relevant institutions in the field of national security, to ensure an adequate framework for protection, monitoring and intervention for offshore energy infrastructure in the Black Sea," OMV Petrom said.