Minesweeper divers neutralize unexploded World War II ordnance

Miner divers from the 13th minesweeper squadron in Gdynia excavated an unexploded World War II ordnance weighing nearly 1,000 kg from the bottom of the Baltic Sea from the area of the Gdynia harbour on Tuesday and then neutralised it in the Bay of Gdańsk.

– The operation to neutralise an unexploded ordnance from World War II is behind us,” the press officer of the 8th Coastal Defence Flotilla, Lt. mar. Łukasz Koziarski

He added that a nearly 1,000-kilogram GC-type naval mine, which had been lying inside the port of Gdynia, had been neutralised in the Gulf of Gdansk.

Koziarski stressed that the operation proceeded smoothly and in accordance with the previously established schedule.

The operation to excavate and neutralise the unexploded ordnance began on Tuesday at around 8 a.m. The naval mine was located on the bottom of the Baltic Sea in the area of the Port of Gdynia’s avant-garde.

The removal of the mine – as emphasised by representatives of the Maritime Office in Gdynia – was necessary to maintain the safety of navigation in the area.

After retrieving the mine, mine divers from the 13th minesweeper division in Gdynia transported it 5 km into the Gulf of Gdansk at the level of Gdynia Redłowo and neutralised it there.

Prior to the neutralisation of the unexploded ordnance, a scouring of animals (marine mammals, birds) was carried out in accordance with the conditions set out in the decision of the Regional Director for Environmental Protection in Gdansk.

Source: PortalMorski.pl