Assistance provided by Madsen at the Ammunition Archive Center - Assistance offered at the Seniors' Retreat by Madsen
In a significant move to address the challenges posed by extensive unexploded ordnance (UXO) and discarded munitions in the North and Baltic Seas, Germany has launched a €100 million program to clear underwater munitions from these seas. This initiative, spearheaded by the Federal Competence Center for Munition Remnants in the North and Baltic Seas, reflects extensive coordinated efforts to locate, assess, and safely dispose of UXO to protect marine life, support maritime navigation safety, and mitigate risks to coastal populations.
The history of this issue dates back to World War II when disposal of unexploded ordnance was commonly conducted by dumping munitions into the Baltic and North Seas, creating a significant environmental and safety hazard. Over 1 million metric tons of discarded munitions remain on the seafloor, posing risks to marine ecosystems, shipping, and coastal communities.
The Federal Competence Center serves as the coordinating authority for technical expertise, operational planning, and policy-making related to munition clearance in this region. Its role encompasses overseeing detection and identification of UXO, planning and authorizing safe disposal or neutralization of explosive hazards, collaborating with maritime, environmental, and defense agencies, and advising on regulations regarding maritime safety, environmental protection, and fishing activities affected by munition remnants.
Future initiatives involve expanding clearing operations with advanced detection technologies such as digital geophysics and remote sensing, and enhancing cooperation between North Sea and Baltic Sea bordering countries to harmonize clearance standards and share intelligence. The ongoing commitment includes scaling up underwater clearance efforts, investing in research on long-term environmental impacts and best practices for sustainable munition disposal, increasing public and maritime stakeholder awareness and safety measures, and maintaining a centralized hub of knowledge and expertise to support operational response and policy adaptation to new findings.
The establishment of the center is proposed to be under federal sponsorship, with a location in the eastern federal states. Till Backhaus from the German Press Agency spoke at a conference with over 200 experts in Kiel in June, discussing the importance of this initiative. Experts from Geomar regularly examine a large known sinking area near Kiel in the Kolberger Heide, where numerous torpedoes, anchor mines, bottom mines, flak ammunition, and grenades are corroding.
The pilot removal in the Lübeck Bay is intended to provide insights for systematic removal using a platform. Further test removals are planned off the coast of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. Economics Minister Claus Ruhe Madsen (CDU) of Schleswig-Holstein has proposed cooperating with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to establish a federal competence center for munition remnants. The coalition commits to continuing the immediate program for the removal of munition remnants in the North and Baltic Seas in the long term.
The goal is to create conditions to remove and dispose of munition remnants as quickly as possible, as the munitions' casings corrode after about 80 years. The North and Baltic Sea coasts in Germany are estimated to contain 1.6 million tons of conventional wartime munitions. The center, if established, offers "great potential" to both Schleswig-Holstein and Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.
References: [1] https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-clear-wwii-munitions-from-baltic-sea/a-47781819 [2] https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-clear-wwii-munitions-from-baltic-sea/a-47781819 [3] https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-clear-wwii-munitions-from-baltic-sea/a-47781819 [4] https://www.dw.com/en/germany-to-clear-wwii-munitions-from-baltic-sea/a-47781819
- Recognizing the long-term implications of environmental science and climate-change, the German government is planning to invest in research on the long-term environmental impacts of unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the North and Baltic Seas as part of their ongoing commitment to the problem.
- To ensure the safety of coastal populations and maintain sustainable maritime navigation, the government's employment policy will focus on hiring experts in policy-and-legislation, specifically in areas related to policy-making and regulations regarding maritime safety, environmental protection, and fishing activities affected by munition remnants.
- In addition to developing advanced detection technologies, the Federal Competence Center for Munition Remnants in the North and Baltic Seas is also focusing on vocational training programs to equip its team with the necessary skills need to identify, safely dispose of, and neutralize UXO, as well as collaborate effectively with various maritime, environmental, and defense agencies.
