Germany Tackling WWII Ordnance Littering Baltic Sea
Boltenhagen, Germany At the end of WWII, ammunition-filled trains from all over Germany were sent to coasts along the Baltic and North Seas. Fishermen were hired to take the ordnance to assigned disposal areas, but unfortunately some was simply dumped in non-designated areas. Over the years, strong currents have led to the munitions being spread all over the seabed.
Since then, the German government has awarded over 100 million euros ($117.4 million) in contracts to teams of engineers and divers to devise a plan to remove the approximately 1.6 million tons of old, decaying munitions that pose considerable risks and the rust and emit toxic substances including TNT compounds.