France has temporarily relocated a maritime patrol aircraft to Romania to help identify dangers to navigation and protect critical energy infrastructure in the Black Sea, Romania's defence ministry said on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

France's Atlantique 2 aircraft moved to the Mihail Kogalniceanu air base in Romania on October 18 and will fly surveillance missions over the western Black Sea until November 6, the ministry said. Its purpose is, in the ministry's words, "to identify dangers to navigation and increase the ability to protect critical infrastructure in Romania's exclusive economic zone".

Eight cargo ships hit in three weeks

At least eight cargo ships have been hit near the coasts of NATO members Romania and Bulgaria in the past three weeks, with some 34 sailors reported dead or missing, Reuters reported. Romanian F-16 pilots shot down two of the latest generation of Russian drones over Romanian territorial waters earlier this month.

NATO has said it will send more maritime patrol aircraft, radar systems and drones to the Black Sea. Romania's defence ministry said the French deployment adds to measures already being enforced by Romanian naval forces, including stepped-up patrol missions with ships, helicopters and drones, and continuous updates to navigators about dangers and recommended routes.

The western Black Sea carries grain, oil and gas traffic from Romanian, Bulgarian and Ukrainian ports, so attacks on civilian shipping there reach far beyond the region — into food and energy prices watched closely by Indian and Punjabi households and traders as well.