On September 20th, CNN reported an explosion involving the West African cargo ship Seama in the Black Sea near the coast of Romania. It was reported that 12 sailors were rescued and evacuated to the Sulina port. According to the crew members, the explosion occurred because the ship hit a mine. Romanian law enforcement authorities are currently investigating the incident.

Dmitrо Pletenchuk, the spokesperson for the Ukrainian Navy, stated during a briefing at the "Ukraine-Odessa" media centre: "I want to comment on the information about the ship explosion near Romania due to a mine. This information does not correspond to reality. Investigative actions are currently underway to determine the circumstances of this incident. However, I can unequivocally state that it was not an anti-ship mine."

Pletenchuk also expressed his view regarding the message from British intelligence about the possible mining of entrances to the ports in the Odessa region. "We are monitoring the situation. The danger is primarily related to the way the occupiers use mines. They drop drifting mines into the sea, which can drift towards our coastline with the currents. This violates all international conventions," he noted.

According to Pletenchuk, Russia is mining the entrances to the ports in the Odessa region with the aim of blocking Ukraine's maritime exports, as Ukraine is a competitor in the agro-industrial market. "Maritime exports account for 90% of Ukraine's exports. This was the case until February 24, 2022 when the sea was the primary import-export channel for our country," he added.