We have traced this velvilo before. It is a Polish Border Guard Let L-41(reg. SN61YG) from the that we have seen operating in the Mediterranean for control operations operated as a Frontex asset.
Totally unprecedented, however, is the mission we saw today in the Black Sea. A mission that went beyond Romanian territorial waters (but still within the Bucharest FIR).
What kind of mission is it?Since December 2022, Frontex wrapped up the Multipurpose Maritime Operation in the Black Sea for 2022 together with EMSA and EFCA. Hosted by Bulgaria and Romania, the operation was aimed at border control including search and rescue, fisheries control and protection of environment in the Western Black Sea area.
This operation was multipurpose and focused on implementing several coast guard functions, including fighting cross-border crime, saving life at
sea, detecting marine pollution and illegal fishing, and border surveillance.