KIEV, July 12 (Xinhua) -- The multinational maritime exercise Sea Breeze 2019 was officially wrapped up in Odessa, southern Ukraine, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said Friday.
The closing ceremony was held in the Odessa Officers' Club where Rear-Admiral Alexei Neizhpapa, head of the exercise for Ukraine, said that all the planned tasks were completed in full.
"We have reached a full understanding. Our ships covered more than 2,000 miles, our infantrymen jumped with parachutes more than 300 times, divers spent more than 300 hours underwater, our pilots spent more than 300 hours in the air. These are fantastic results," said Neizhpapa during the ceremony.
Captain Matthew Lehman, head of the exercise from the U.S. side, stressed that the partner countries have once again demonstrated their support and readiness to respond smoothly to any military challenges and threats.
The maritime exercise co-hosted by Ukraine and the United States with land, air and sea components kicked off in Odessa on July 1.
Sea Breeze drills enhanced interoperability and capabilities among participating forces. Participants conducted field training exercises with a focus on protecting critical infrastructure, maritime security operations and force protection.
Nineteen nations, namely Bulgaria, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, France, Georgia, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Norway, Poland, Romania, Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, the United Kingdom and the United States, participated in the exercise, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence.
There were 33 ships, 27 aircraft and more than 3,000 troops in the exercise.
