A former Royal Navy minehunter has been commissioned into the Romanian Navy where she will contribute to NATO’s mission supporting security in the Black Sea.

Along with sister ship HMS Blyth, Sandown-class Mine Counter Measure Vessel HMS Pembroke was sold to Romania by DE&S’ Defence Equipment Sales Authority (DESA) – now superseded by the Exports and Sales team within the National Armaments Director Group – which disposes of vehicles and equipment no longer needed by UK Armed Forces.

Pembroke was commissioned into the Romanian Navy during a ceremony at Rosyth in Scotland and will now be known as Capitan Constantin Dumitrescu (M217).

Prior to the handovers, the DE&S Ships Support team also worked with Babcock to refurbish both minehunters before they were transferred to their new owners.

Commodore Richard Whalley, Former Head of Sales and Exports at DE&S and now Deputy Director Exports and Sales, International Collaboration and Exports at the National Armaments Director Group said: “We are pleased to have found HMS Pembroke a new home with the Romanian Navy. This agreement highlights the strong relationship we have with our allies and feeds into NATO’s collective mission of supporting global security.”

Attending the Pembroke ceremony was the Romanian Chief of the Navy Vice Admiral Mihai Panait, the Royal Navy’s Commander Operations Major General Rich Cantrill, and representatives from Babcock. The Romanian flag was hoisted on the minehunter for the first time, and the ceremony concluded with a tour of the ship.

Royal Navy’s Maj Gen Cantrill said: “We are pleased to see former HMS Pembroke commissioned into the Romanian Naval Forces. She will play a key role in Black Sea security going forward and this demonstrates the strengthening bond between our two Nations’ militaries.”

The former Sandown Class ship is 52.5m long, weigh 485 tonnes and has a range of more than 2,500 nautical miles without refuelling.

Specialising in mine warfare in deep water, she uses high-definition sonar to scour the world’s seabeds for mines and lost explosives, which are then safely destroyed by the ship’s clearance diving teams or the ATLAS Seafox mine disposal system.

They also worked closely with regional and coalition partners to maintain the security of the sea lanes of communications, crucial to international shipping and the global economy.

One of HMS Pembroke’s most notable successes was the discovery and safe disposal of a Russian mine from the First World War. A remote underwater vehicle was deployed to identify the device off the coast of Lithuania before it was safely disposed of.

The Sandown Class are being replaced by autonomous mine-hunting systems operating from HMS Stirling Castle. In the context of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, drifting mines pose a direct threat to Black Sea states, and sea lines of communication. This sale will enable Romania, a key NATO ally, to have a direct, positive contribution to the maritime security of the region.