An international project has been initiated in Sopot, Poland, to address the danger presented by weapons and chemical armaments left in the Baltic Sea post-World War II.
After the conflict, the Allied powers used the Baltic Sea to dispose of approximately 65,000 tons of unused German chemical weapons, along with an indeterminate amount of conventional arms.
The "MUNIMAP: the Baltic Sea Munition Remediation Roadmap" initiative, introduced at a press conference hosted by the Oceanography Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) on Wednesday, aims to expedite the mapping and removal, when possible, of the Baltic's wartime debris.
As per Professor Jacek Beldowski from the PAN, past efforts focusing on the Baltic Sea indicated that submerged conventional and chemical weaponry "negatively affect the marine ecosystem."
"Fortunately, there is currently no direct risk to consumers of fish as the concentration of toxic substances in the sea is low; however, a major leakage could threaten the marine ecosystem," Beldowski remarked, suggesting potential danger to maritime industries as well.
MUNIMAP will coordinate teams tasked with identifying sunken ordnance, evaluating its ecological repercussions, and determining whether removal or destruction is warranted.
Funded by the INTERREG Baltic Sea programme, the project has garnered participation from all Baltic nations.
The "MUNIMAP: the Baltic Sea Munition Remediation Roadmap" initiative, introduced at a press conference hosted by the Oceanography Institute of the Polish Academy of Sciences (PAN) on Wednesday, aims to expedite the mapping and removal, when possible, of the Baltic's wartime debris.
As per Professor Jacek Beldowski from the PAN, past efforts focusing on the Baltic Sea indicated that submerged conventional and chemical weaponry "negatively affect the marine ecosystem."
"Fortunately, there is currently no direct risk to consumers of fish as the concentration of toxic substances in the sea is low; however, a major leakage could threaten the marine ecosystem," Beldowski remarked, suggesting potential danger to maritime industries as well.
MUNIMAP will coordinate teams tasked with identifying sunken ordnance, evaluating its ecological repercussions, and determining whether removal or destruction is warranted.
Funded by the INTERREG Baltic Sea programme, the project has garnered participation from all Baltic nations.
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