From a report by ntv and deutschlandfunk
An estimated1.6 million tonnes of old munitions pose an increasing risk to humans and the environment because they are rotting uncontrollably at the bottom of the Baltic and North Seas. The pollutants are already detectable in fish and mussels and could enter the human food chain in this way.
Coalition agreement
In its coalition agreement, the coalition government had agreed to launch an immediate programme to tackle the recovery of munitions and explosive ordnance from the North Sea and Baltic Sea and to set up a federal-state fund to finance it.
Government programme
Now it seems that the time has finally come! According to the speech manuscript by Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke at a non-public event, pilot projects are to be launched as quickly as possible to remove munitions and explosive ordnance from the North Sea and Baltic Sea. Around 100 million euros have been set aside in the budget for this purpose until 2025. A pilot salvage platform is to be built from which the contaminated sites can be lifted and, if possible, disarmed and destroyed on site. Construction is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2023, with the first regular salvage operations taking place at the turn of 2024/25.
Source: deutschlandfunk, ntv.de, lar/dpa, boskalis-hirdes, H. Hirdes GmbH
English 
German
0 Kommentare