Rostock is the center for ammunition recovery: a milestone for the Baltic Sea!

Rostock is the center for ammunition recovery: a milestone for the Baltic Sea!

Wismar, Deutschland - Rostock has been awarded the contract for a new Federal Competence Center for Mounting Munition. A decision that is important not only for the region, but also for the environment. Federal Environment Minister Carsten Schneider from the SPD justifies this step with the extensive scientific expertise and the technical know-how that the Rostock location offers. In the east and North Sea, an estimated 1.6 million tons of old ammunition are stored, which not only pose a risk to the environment, but also potentially for people's health. [wismar.fm reports that…] (https://www.wismar.fm/rostock-erhaelt-zuschlag-fuer- Federal Center-Munitionsbergung/)

The problem is not new. After the Second World War, large amounts of ammunitional loads were sunk in the sea. The dangerous contaminated sites pile up in particular in the Baltic Sea, off the coast of Schleswig-Holstein. Around 300,000 tons of conventional old ammunition are there, and the risk that harmful substances such as TNT and other carcinogenic compounds in the water are constantly growing. Due to corrosion and the influence of climate change, which also increases the intensity of storms, the disintegration of ammunition residues accelerates. The climate foundation MV provides information about…

a good step for the environment

The establishment of the center is laid down in the coalition agreement and provides for free the seas from ammunitional loads. Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig emphasizes that this step is not directed against Schleswig-Holstein. Rather, it is about bunding the forces and promoting cooperation. The ammunition recovery service in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania has already recovered 1,500 tons of ammunition, which are now waiting to be disposed of safely. dauchen.de emphasizes that ...

The rescue and disposal of these contaminated sites is anything but easy. Experts warn that the challenges could increase in the future. An important aspect is the disposal of the securitized ammunition scrap, which was identified as a “bottle neck” for the further rescue. To master this, the Bundestag has launched a pilot project with a budget of around 100 million euros, which aims to ensure the safe disposal of the ammunition directly at the sites.

The new Federal Competence Center will deal with innovative techniques, including remote -controlled crawlers for ammunition recovery. These technologies could not only be used in the Baltic Sea, but also internationally to remove old ammunition from waters. Eyk-Uwe Pap from the Baltic diving, who already has experience in the recovery of ammunition, underlines the urgency to finally become active here.

Together for a clean sea

At the political level, a new Helcom-Ostsee action plan is already being worked on, which is to be decided in Lübeck in October 2023. This action plan should deal in detail with the problem of sunk ammunition. The urgency of acting with Schleswig-Holstein in the end of the shoulder was also emphasized by Claus Böttcher from the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Environment. After all, it is important to drive the ammunition evacuation in the east and North Sea quickly and to find solutions together.

The way is clear: ammunition recovery and environmental protection must go hand in hand. With Rostock as a new center for this important task, the prerequisites for this are created. It remains to be hoped that the necessary measures will be taken quickly so that the oceans will soon become cleaner in northern Germany.