German navy searches for unexploded ordnance in Baltic Sea

The German navy is to conduct a search of the Baltic Sea bed to look for unexploded ordnance in the area off the coastal town of Lubmin to prepare for the construction of a liquid gas terminal, the naval authorities announced on Monday.

The Bad Bevensen mine-hunting vessel and minesweeper Bad Rappenau left the Kiel naval base on Monday with units aboard specially trained to deal with munitions on the seabed.

The naval authorities said the aim was to neutralize any munitions that could pose a danger to energy infrastructure and explicitly mentioned the LNG terminal planned for the town near the border with Poland.

The German authorities suspect that tons of unexploded ordnance is still lying on the seabed.

The new LNG terminal is part of efforts to reduce Germany's dependence on Russian gas after supplies were disrupted as a result of the war in Ukraine.