On Monday, October 24, 2022, the minesweeper “Bad Bevensen” and the minesweeper “Bad Rappenau” set sail from the naval base in Kiel to actively participate in the search for contaminated sites in the sea area off Lubmin (east of Greifswald). The construction of an LNG terminal is planned there. The two mine countermeasures units will search the seabed to determine whether or not there is no explosive ordnance. Units of the 3rd minesweeper squadron and the sea battalion’s mine divers on board are specially equipped and trained for this task. The boats and the mine divers will contribute their in-depth expertise to the detection of contaminated sites and thus ensure the German Navy’s contribution to energy security in Germany.
background
The ammunition that has been lying on the seabed for decades is a danger to life and limb as well as to our environment. Many thousands of tons of old ammunition are still lying on the Baltic Sea floor in German waters, estimates the ammunition expert group of the federal and state working group North Sea and Baltic Sea (BLANO) of the federal and coastal states.
The sea routes are of great importance in our internationally networked world. These lifelines can be threatened by sea mines and other munitions. The ability to defend against this danger is of correspondingly great importance. The German Navy has unique capabilities to make sea routes safer, not only in the North and Baltic Seas. Because of its defense mission, the German Navy must be able to remove mines and other high-weight ordnance used under water in order to protect sea routes and important infrastructure.
The minehunters of the German Navy have several possibilities to search for and eliminate dangers under water. Cable-guided underwater drones can identify and destroy mines. Sea battalion mine divers are used to render explosive devices harmless in places that are difficult to access, such as harbors or shallow waters.
