Black Sea Fleet minesweeper arrives in Mediterranean Sea for drills

The Black Sea Fleet’s minesweeper Ivan Golubets arrived in the Mediterranean Sea for accomplishing missions within the Russian Navy’s taskforce, the Fleet’s press office reported on Tuesday.

"The Black Sea Fleet’s ocean minesweeper Ivan Golubets has completed its transit through the Black Sea straits and started accomplishing assignments as part of the Russian Navy’s permanent taskforce in the Mediterranean Sea," the press office said in a statement.

"During its transit to the distant maritime zone, the minesweeper’s personnel practiced measures for the ship’s maneuvering and control while passing through sea lanes with intensive shipping. Within the Navy’s taskforce, the crew began drills for searching for mines in the designated water area, using various contact and non-contact sweeps, to lead a group of ships through minefields," TASS cited the statement as saying.

The crew of the minesweeper Ivan Golubets joined the Russian Navy’s taskforce on a planned rotating basis to replace the ocean minesweeper Vice-Admiral Zakharyin that had been in service in the Mediterranean Sea from May this year, the press office said.