France will keep its Atlantique 2 maritime patrol aircraft in Romania for several more weeks, extending a deployment meant to watch over commercial shipping in the western Black Sea. The aircraft was first sent to Mihail Kogalniceanu air base on 18 October, after Romania and Bulgaria asked NATO for reinforcements following a series of strikes on merchant ships near their coasts.

The deployment had been due to end on 6 November. Its commander told reporters on 5 November that the aircraft would stay on, saying: "The Atlantique 2 presence will be maintained for a few weeks from now on. We are here to ensure the safety of navigation of the commercial traffic in the Black Sea," according to Reuters. No end date was given.

The aircraft is built to detect submarines, warships, mines and small threats such as sea drones. Its commander was open about its limits: the crew can spot drones and raise the alarm but cannot shoot them down. That makes the extension longer surveillance rather than protection, with the same single aircraft doing the same job it was sent to do.

The decision follows a difficult month for shipping in the region. The Greek-owned container ship Contship Jet was hit by three sea drones on 28 October and later sank in Bulgaria's exclusive economic zone. Its crew escaped unharmed after French surveillance gave about an hour's warning, although naval forces could not reach the vessel in time.

No new strike on a merchant ship in the western Black Sea was recorded between 1 and 7 November. Romania raised air alerts on three nights that week as Russia attacked Ukrainian ports on the Danube, and said each time that nothing had entered its airspace. Responsibility for the individual ship attacks has not been officially established.