Overview

• Corroding shells, bombs and torpedoes are clustered in former Allied disposal zones such as Kolberger Heide and Lübecker Bucht, making location and recovery complex.
• The €100 million Sofortprogramm, backed by the Bundesumweltministerium, has launched pilot recoveries in the Lübecker Bucht to inform large-scale clearance strategies.
• TKMS and Euroatlas are demonstrating a floating disposal platform and autonomous diving robots equipped with sensors and robotic arms to enhance retrieval and seabed mapping.
• TNT and other toxin residues have been detected in water samples, mussels and fish near munition sites, though current concentrations remain below levels harmful to humans.
• GEOMAR experts estimate that sustained funding and technological advances could clear the German Baltic Sea of munitions by the late 2040s.