Sources: "Beyond official announcements, the real price of the Turkish corvette will far exceed 300 million euros"

The recent acquisition of a Turkish Hisar OPV corvette by the Romanian state is not just a simple military transaction, but seems to be the opening of a new chapter in the strategic collaboration between Romania and Turkey in the field of defense, sources close to the business told the BURSA newspaper. They also claim that this direct acquisition is only the first stage of a larger plan that involves the emergency procurement of two more Hisar OPV corvettes.

The cited sources state that this haste of the Ministry of National Defense (MApN) is given by the current tense and complex context, especially after the presence of a Russian submarine was reported in the international waters of the Black Sea near the Neptun Deep perimeter - the maritime area where Romania is to exploit important natural gas reserves. According to BURSA sources, this situation has determined the Romanian authorities to accelerate the steps to consolidate naval capacity, justifying the acquisitions by the urgent need to defend critical energy infrastructure from possible external threats.

We recall that the direct, urgent acquisition of the first corvette from Turkey was approved in the meeting of the Supreme Council of National Defense (CSAT) of March 28, 2025, but it would not have been unanimously accepted without reservations. The cited sources claim that interim president Ilie Bolojan expressed his dissatisfaction with the way in which this transaction would be carried out, signaling possible gaps or long-term risks for national interests, given that our country has 9 shipyards where such a vessel needed by the Romanian Naval Forces could be built.

Another controversial aspect of the acquisition is the cost. Although the Ministry of Defense announced a price of approximately 300 million euros, BURSA sources say that the reality would be considerably different.

"If Romania wants the new corvettes to be equipped with communication and command systems compatible with those of NATO, the total costs could increase by several hundred million euros more. Ok, you take a corvette from Turkey, you bring it here to patrol the Black Sea, to scare away Russian submarines, but if it is necessary to sink such a submarine, how you do it also matters. Now, the Turkish corvette does not have a system mounted on it like the ones in NATO. This system with the related software could be made by companies in Romania, but taking into account that the equipment must be mounted on a ready-made ship, the costs will be higher. Thus, the final amount of the acquisition of a Turkish corvette could far exceed the initial estimates, raising questions regarding the transparency and efficiency of the management of public funds", the quoted sources told us, who also advanced a minimum amount for the final acquisition of the first corvette: 500 million euros, instead of the 300 million euros announced by the Ministry of Defense.

They also told us that, in an attempt to calm possible internal tensions, the Turkish side could accept the construction of the two additional corvettes on Romanian territory, with the possibility that the Mangalia shipyard could be selected for this task. This option could serve the dual purpose of reducing public pressure and revitalizing the local naval industry, ignored for years in favor of foreign partners.

Behind the scenes of this decision regarding the acquisition of the Hisar OPV corvette, the name of former Prime Minister Victor Ponta was allegedly circulating, about whom sources say that he suggested the acquisition from Turkey during the period when he held the position of advisor to the current Prime Minister, Marcel Ciolacu. Later, Ponta announced his candidacy in the presidential elections, a context in which his involvement in this sensitive file takes on new political valences.

Government officials close to the transaction criticize the fact that, in the three years since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, Romania has failed to find solutions for building the necessary corvettes in the nine existing shipyards in the country, and is now resorting to importing a warship directly from Turkey, which in the opinion of civil servants would amount to a "betrayal of the national interest". Moreover, they demand that those involved in this decision, considered by some as an abandonment of economic and industrial sovereignty, be held criminally liable.

In conclusion, the acquisition of the Turkish corvette raises numerous question marks and provokes heated debates regarding the strategic direction of Romania's defense policy, government priorities, but also the fate of the domestic naval industry. It remains to be seen whether the declared intentions of strengthening national defense will be doubled by transparency, efficiency and a real protection of the public interest in the long term.