A suspected unmanned surface vessel detected off the coast of Hopa in Turkiye’s northeastern Artvin province was towed into open waters and destroyed in a controlled operation by Underwater Defense (SAS) commandos on Sunday.

Axar.az reports, citing Turkiye Today, that Artvin Governor Turan Ergun said the operation had been completed safely.

“As we planned last night, our SAS commandos moved to our district in the morning,” Ergun said. “They carried out their necessary work and examinations. The vehicle in question was towed to a safe distance in open sea and destroyed. The problem has been resolved.”

Ergun said authorities had acted under a worst-case scenario because similar incidents had previously occurred in the Black Sea.

The vessel had drifted to within 50 meters of the shoreline, prompting authorities to temporarily close a nearby highway. A 600-meter safety net was also deployed, while the Coast Guard monitored the area.

Following the controlled destruction, SAS teams examined the area and completed their assessment.