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Thematic assessment on Hazardous Submerged Objects in the Baltic Sea - Warfare Materials in the Baltic Sea
Contemporary society’s perception of past wars is almost exclusively driven by historic sources such as film recordings, photographs and written documents that are presented in mass media.
However, the legacy of these wars is still present throughout European soil and waters, including
the Baltic Sea. The marine waters of every Baltic Sea state contain warfare materials. Resulting
risks may be direct and short-term. Fishermen, divers, offshore wind farm constructors and
beachgoers can potentially be exposed to their remains while performing their daily work or
while collecting objects in the surf. Other potential effects might be indirect and long-term such
as the accumulation of carcinogenic toxic substances and their metabolites in the marine food
web.
Since 1974 Contracting Parties of the Helsinki Convention are seeking to address the increasing
environmental challenges from human activities and that were having a severe impact on the
marine environment. This includes the protection of the Baltic Sea from all sources of pollution,
and thus munitions in the Baltic Sea are addressed by HELCOM since 1993. The convention
commits the signatories to take measures to conserve habitats and biological diversity and for
the sustainable use of marine resources. In addition, warfare materials potentially constitute a
hazard and an obstacle for the utilization of the sea floor for economic purposes. The global
ocean economy is predicted to double in size by 2030, as compared to 2010 (OECD 2016). In the
Blue Growth Strategy laid out by the European Commission the economic potential for the
extended economic usage of the oceans was recognized and focus was placed on five blue
growth sectors. Two of these sectors (ocean energy and seabed mining) require the ability to
safely access large areas of the sea floor (European Commission 2017). In order to exploit the
economic potential of the ocean energy and seabed resources sectors, the detection and
removal of warfare materials in affected areas will become increasingly important (European
Parliament 2021).
Recently, numerous HELCOM Contracting Parties supported increasing the knowledge
concerning warfare materials in the Baltic Sea and their effects on humans and the marine
environment of the Baltic Sea. As a result of national, regional and international scientific
research the understanding of the issue grows and consequentially numerous recommendations
are published on how the warfare materials challenge can be addressed. However, international
coordination is necessary to identify synergies and to avoid a duplication of efforts. This report
provides the current state of knowledge on warfare materials in the Baltic sea based on recent
research projects