Thousands of military wrecks with remnants of ammunition on board lie at the bottom of our seas. Each one has its own special features, as an exciting example from the Adriatic shows. The Adriatic - a fascinating holiday destination on the Mediterranean. Every travel guide extols its turquoise waters, unspoilt landscapes, historic cities and first-class Mediterranean cuisine.
Six years ago, the MSC Zoe lost several hundred containers in the North Sea - and for hours the crew didn't notice. Researchers are now working on how to minimise the extent of such accidents. Six years ago, the "MSC Zoe" was one of the largest container ships in the world: a good 395 metres long and...
Every year, tens of thousands of tonnes of fishing nets, known as ghost nets, end up in the sea. Sea creatures and diving birds get caught in them indiscriminately and usually die an agonising death. Artificial intelligence is now helping to salvage them. Since the 1960s, fishing nets have no longer been made from the perishable natural materials hemp, sisal or linen, but from synthetic materials.
Martin Sulanke has been a professional diver for 36 years. He works on the "Atair". In an interview on board, he explains what his job entails and why it can be dangerous underwater. "I originally come from deep-sea fishing," says Sulanke, who wears a white stubbly beard, a silver earring and a red cap....
The Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency plays a key role in ensuring safety in German waters. Divers from the agency search for underwater obstacles in the Elbe. On the Elbe, between Hamburg and the estuary. A northern German autumn day, the water is grey-brown, sometimes it rains. Large ships pass by in the direction of...
Shortly before Christmas 1952, the cargo ship Melanie Schulte disappeared almost without a trace in the North Atlantic. The accident has now been reconstructed at the Helmholtz Centre Hereon. The sinking of the multi-purpose freighter Melanie Schulte west of the Scottish coast on the night of 21-22 December 1952 is considered one of the worst disasters in German history.
After the beginning of the Second World War, the Kriegsmarine took over the bathing ship Rugard. In the final days of the war, it rescued thousands of refugees and soldiers. Like many other German passenger ships, the Rugard, which was launched on 13 March 1927 at the Stettiner Oderwerke and used in the seaside resort service, was destroyed during the Second...
The International Convention on Ship Recycling was adopted in Hong Kong in 2009 and came into force on 26 June 2025. Shipowners and shipyards are faced with complex new rules. The International Convention for the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, known as the Hong Kong Convention, or HKC for short, was adopted by the International Maritime Organisation of the...
A good 200 years ago, two ships sank in a storm off Denmark. Today, a remarkable museum in Thorsminde commemorates the many dead - and the dangers of the Danish west coast. In mid-December 1811, Vice-Admiral Sir James Saumarez, commander-in-chief of the British fleet in the Baltic Sea, made a fatal decision that he later...
Numerous training ships were built at the beginning of the 20th century to ensure the qualified training of young seamen in Germany. Even today, the German Training Ship Association is responsible for maintaining one such full-rigged ship. The founding of the Deutscher Schulschiff-Verein on 12 January 1900 in the Hotel Continental in Berlin reflects the great economic, social and...
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