The Ministry of Internal Affairs immediately responded to the incident in Batumi upon receiving the notification, and relevant units, including employees of the Emergency Situations Management Service, Patrol Police and Criminal Police, promptly arrived at the scene.

The investigation into the incident was launched under Article 229 of the Criminal Code of Georgia.

Within the frames of the investigation, demining works were carried out, remnants of an explosive device were removed and appropriate examinations appointed. The video footage taken by the citizens, depicting the fact, has been obtained and studied. Police have already interviewed eyewitnesses.

Employees of the Coast Guard Department under the Border Police are inspecting the surrounding waters of Batumi and Poti, as well as the harbors, with high-speed patrol boats and monitor the coastline from Anaklia to Sarpi. The respective units of the Emergency Situations Management Service conduct monitoring activities by means of special drones.

In order to ensure citizens’ safety, the employees of the Emergency Situations Management Service, the Coast Guard Department and other structural units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs have close communication on the issue and work in a coordinated manner.

The criminal police will promptly respond to any message or information.

The relevant units of the Ministry will monitor the protection measures of the coast line through special technic and equipment and implement appropriate preventive security measures in the territorial waters of Georgia. In addition to the mentioned, informational meetings will be held with local fishermen, organizations involved in shipping and transport activities as well as representatives of the local self-government bodies.

In order to ensure safety measures, special barriers will be placed in the territorial waters of Georgia along the coastline.

In accordance with the international standard, a special circular was issued on navigation safety measures. Harbor captains and hydrographic service informed the local population, representatives of commercial, transport and cargo ships, as well as fishing seiners.

Due to the current situation in the region, similar facts have recently been observed in other countries near the Black Sea.

Within the framework of the mutual cooperation forum between the Coast Guard Department of the Border Police of Georgia and the Black Sea Basin countries, information was provided throughout the past year, from Bulgarian Black Sea Border Coordination and Information Center and Turkish National Coordination Center on discovering floating mines in the maritime space of the Black Sea Basin countries (Turkey, Romania, Bulgaria and Ukraine). We were also informed that due to poor meteorological conditions (storm), it is possible that floating mines may be brought into the maritime space of Georgia.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs urges citizens to immediately contact the Public Safety Command Center “112” and provide detailed information in case of noticing or discovering a suspicious object in the sea or on the coastline.