Between 07th of May and 15th of June 2019, the Romanian Border Police through the Coast Guard participated in the "Maritime Multipurpose Operation in the Black Sea - MMO Black Sea 2019", organized by Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, which took place in the Black Sea.
The action took place in the framework of the Focal Points Sea Joint Operation 2019 and its aim was to safeguard a high level of security at the European Union's external maritime border by implementing several multipurpose maritime operational activities like combating: illegal migration, cross-border crime, illegal fishing, maritime pollution and search and rescue operations of the peoples in distress.
Thus, FRONTEX, in coordination with the European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) and EMSA (European Maritime Safety Agency), provided support for the Romanian and Bulgarian national authorities that perform Coast Guard functions, by providing services, information, equipment and training, respectively the development of joint activities in order to improve the awareness of the operational situation as well as the ability to react. In this respect, an aircraft ensured the surveillance of the maritime space in the Black Sea, providing real-time images to the Command and Control Centers of the national authorities in Romania and Bulgaria, respectively to those of the participating European agencies.
At the same time, within the action, it was emphasized the personnel training, being carried put theoretical and practical activities, that were attended by representatives from the European Agencies and MS, (Romania, Italy, Greece, Spain) and a representative from Ukraine as an observer. They exchanged experience and good practices in order to improve the coordination and intervention way. Thus, in Constanta, took place on the 12th of 2019 a seminar in the field of searching and rescuing people in distress at sea.
The Coast Guard participated in the operation with 11 vessels, 39 missions taking place (more than 1,000 hours of patrol) and together with representatives of the National Agency for Fisheries and Aquaculture (ANPA) monitored 700 vessels and crafts, 90 boarding actions and control of IUU (Illegal, unreported, and unregulated) fishing.
The results consisted of identifying and retaining, with the support of a surveillance aircraft, the crew members of a fisher boat rising the flag of Turkey, fishing illegally in the Romanian territorial waters, rescuing several people at risk in the Black Sea, as well as more actions to combat illegal fishing by national agencies implementing Coast Guard functions.
We mention that "Focal Points Sea Joint Operation 2019", which was attended by Romanian border guards, is financed by the European Union and coordinated by Frontex, the European Border and Coast Guard Agency, and the responsibility of the information in the press material belongs to the Romanian Border Police.
