Kategorie: News
Millions of tonnes of war material threaten the environment and infrastructure
International initiatives to defuse decades-old marine munitions are gaining momentum: For decades, a large number of rusted weapons have been lying on the seabed around the world – bombs, grenades, chemical and conventional warfare agents that were dumped in the oceans, mainly during the Second World War.
Many of these remnants now pose a serious threat to humans and the environment, as their destruction is progressing inexorably. Starting on Wednesday, experts and representatives from various countries will gather in Kiel to assess the alarming situation, discuss strategies for recovery and develop forward-looking measures.
Figures illustrating the scale of this legacy are difficult to determine with any degree of accuracy. The German Environment Ministry estimates that there are around 1.6 million tonnes of munitions in German territorial waters in the North Sea and Baltic Sea alone, with the majority lying in deep, hard-to-reach areas of the North Sea. These are not just simple remnants of war, but also a large number of chemical warfare agents, only a fraction of which have been recovered so far.
Growing danger from decay and increasing use of the oceans
According to the German Science Media Centre, the risk is increasing steadily over time. The decay of the munitions casings leads to the release of toxic substances that enter the marine ecosystem. At the same time, human use of the oceans is increasing – freight traffic, offshore wind farms, pipelines and tourist activities are transforming sensitive ecosystems into potential sources of danger. The risk of washed-up grenades or rotting bombs causing accidents and harming the environment and human health is therefore growing exponentially.
Salvage measures – from emergency solution to systematic strategy
International organisations began salvaging and defusing munitions in the sea in the post-war years. Germany and France recently agreed to cooperate more closely to identify and secure these legacy munitions. During the current series of conferences, the second Munition Clearance Week in Kiel, the focus is on developing new technologies and methods. A planned floating platform will make it easier to locate and destroy munitions in an environmentally friendly way in the future.
A large-scale research project specialising in the efficient recovery of deep-sea munitions is also underway in the Bay of Lübeck. A billion-euro programme has been launched to systematically remove the huge quantities of old munitions – the total cargo scattered across the sea is equivalent to a freight train stretching from Berlin to Paris.
Ecological risks and human health
The German Environment Ministry warns that the decomposition of war material in the sea is becoming increasingly problematic. Pollutants, including carcinogenic and mutagenic substances, accumulate in mussels and fish, causing significant contamination of the marine food chain. Analyses by the Federal Environment Agency prove that contamination with pollutants in marine animals is on the rise, which could ultimately endanger the health of people who consume seafood.
The Kiel conference makes it clear that the danger posed by old munitions lying on the seabed is a ticking time bomb that can only be defused through international cooperation, innovative technologies and strict environmental regulations. There is still a chance to protect the environment in the long term and minimise the risks to humans – but time is running out. Only a determined, joint effort can prevent this legacy of decades from becoming an uncontrollable disaster.
Interesting information:
German Armed Forces – Demolition of sea mines (German)