💣 Historic clearing of ammunition from the Baltic Sea floor

💣 Historic clearing of ammunition from the Baltic Sea floor

SeaTerra initiates a groundbreaking effort to clear 1.5 million tons of World War II ammunition from the Baltic Sea floor. The company uses the advanced underwater robot Norppa 300 that can work at 300 meters depth around the clock.

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  • SeaTerra initiates a groundbreaking effort to clear 1.5 million tons of World War II ammunition from the Baltic Sea floor.
  • The company uses the advanced underwater robot Norppa 300 that can work at 300 meters depth around the clock.
  • The German government has allocated 100 million euros to clean up Lübeck Bay as a pilot project.

Extensive problem in German waters

In German waters, World War II ammunition is found everywhere. Experts estimate that 1.6 million tons of conventional ammunition and 5,000 tons of chemical weapons are decomposing in the North and Baltic Seas. If all the ammunition were laid in a row, it would stretch from Paris to Moscow, approximately 2,500 kilometers, reports Hakai Magazine.

After almost 80 years, the ammunition casings have started to corrode and toxins are leaking into the marine environment. Toxicologist Jennifer Strehse from the Institute of Toxicology and Pharmacology in Kiel has identified extensive contamination, particularly in shellfish and flatfish near the dumping sites. The fish are contaminated with carcinogenic substances from TNT, arsenic, and heavy metals like lead and mercury.

Advanced technology for safe cleanup

SeaTerra uses the specially built underwater robot Norppa 300 for the work. The robot can work at 300 meters depth and is equipped with sonar and acoustic imaging to detect and identify buried ammunition. It has interchangeable arms including a custom-designed vacuum that can gently remove sediment from buried explosives.

The cleanup is carried out in three steps with specialized vessels:

  1. A survey vessel scans the area and classifies the ammunition
  2. A clearance vessel with a hydraulic crane lifts larger ammunition
  3. A sorting vessel handles the material which is sorted, labeled, and packaged in steel tubes

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