Overview

• Experts are meeting in Kiel during the second Munition Clearance Week to discuss seabed ordnance removal techniques.
• Around 1.6 million tons of conventional munitions and 5,000 tons of chemical warfare agents remain on the seabed of the North and Baltic Seas.
• The German government has launched a €100 million emergency program targeting immediate ordnance recovery in coastal waters.
• Geologist Jens Greinert says that surface-accessible munitions could be cleared by 2040 without requiring a century-long effort.
• Researchers have detected carcinogenic TNT and other toxins in water, sediment and mussels near dumping sites, although fish consumption is still regarded as safe.