Sea Shield: Romania's UK-built flagship among 48 vessels on Nato's largest Black Sea exercise
Romania has launched its annual Sea Shield exercise, bringing together more than 2,500 personnel from 13 Nato nations, in what is the country's largest naval drill.
Running from 23 March to 3 April, the exercise involves 48 ships and boats, 64 combat vehicles, 10 aircraft and 10 autonomous unmanned systems operating across the Black Sea and Romania's river networks.
Among the participating vessels is Regele Ferdinand, the former Royal Navy frigate HMS Coventry, now part of Romania's fleet after entering service in 2004.
Live fire, mine threats and river manoeuvres
Romanian and allied crews are expected to carry out live-fire drills at sea, alongside minehunter operations reflecting the ongoing risk of drifting naval mines in the Black Sea since Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The exercise also moves inland. River units and fast intervention craft are training on the Danube approaches, a key route linking the Black Sea to European logistics networks.
Unmanned systems are being used alongside crewed platforms, with naval, air and land units working together to track and respond to simulated threats.
A coastline under pressure
The exercise is taking place in a region where the war in Ukraine has already had direct effects on Nato territory.
Romania has scrambled fighter jets on multiple occasions after drones linked to Russian strikes approached or entered its airspace.
There have also been reports of drone debris falling on Romanian soil near the Danube delta following attacks on Ukrainian port infrastructure across the river.
The exercise is centred on the waters off Constanta, Romania's main port.
Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the port has become a key route for Ukrainian grain exports, while offshore gas projects in the Black Sea are expected to expand in the coming years.
Romania's flagship
A key vessel on the annual Sea Shield exercise is Romania's flagship, Regele Ferdinand, which began service with the Royal Navy as HMS Coventry, a Type 22 frigate built at the end of the Cold War.
The frigate was launched in 1986 and even received freedom of the city of Coventry before being sold to Romania in 2003.
Regele Ferdinand has operated far beyond the Black Sea, having taken part in Nato's Operation Active Endeavour in 2005, deployed during Operation Unified Protector off Libya in 2011, and has also served on Nato's Operation Sea Guardian.
During her time with the Royal Navy, the ship had Sea Wolf and Exocet missiles, but those were removed before the sale.
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