The dangerous stuff is on the seabed, also near beaches: World War I ammunition.
It rusts to itself and can release toxic substances.
During an on-site visit, the Kiel Minister Albrecht affirmed the need for disposal.
He also gives a date.
Heidkate - Little by little four divers slide into the sea on this gray autumn day.
They are not looking for treasure off the Baltic coast east of Laboe, but rather have their sights set on evil remains of the war.
In the Kolberger Heide dumping area there is ammunition that can be dangerous for people and the environment.
Families with small children can relax on the nearby beach in summer.
The ammunition is increasingly rusting and releasing substances that collect in the water and have already been detected in plants and animals.
The Kiel Environment Minister Jan Philipp Albrecht (Greens), who is urging the recovery to begin soon, gets a picture on Monday from aboard the water monitoring vessel “Haithabu”, a few journalists can be there.
There are around 1.6 million tons of conventional ammunition in the German North and Baltic Seas, plus 5,000 tons of chemical ammunition from both world wars.
Disposal is a task for Germany as a whole, emphasizes Albrecht.
"We have a very urgent need to get started with the disposal", says the green and for the first time mentions a possible starting year.
Accordingly, disposal could begin in 2024 at the earliest.
"What we need now is a decision by the federal and state governments to finance a pilot plant for the disposal of contaminated sites, old ammunition."
The pilot plant is intended to provide important information on how the ammunition can be extracted piece by piece from the North and Baltic Seas. It is now a matter of turning the knowledge gained from the coastal federal states over the past ten years into action, says Albrecht. The federal states could not accomplish this mammoth task on their own. A lot of money is at stake here, and the federal government must help to tackle this all-German legacy. Insights have been gained and preliminary work has been done. In total, there are said to be 320,000 tons of war ammunition in German, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian and Latvian waters.
Given its size, the problem was long sat out.
The state government in Kiel has repeatedly tried to persuade the federal government to loosen enough money.
According to Albrecht, around 100 million euros are needed just for the start of an industrial recovery of ammunition.
This could be used to build a recovery and disposal platform.
There are also enormous operating costs.
Liberating the seas from the burden of war will take many decades.
Experts have already set the year 2100 as the target.
also read
Albrecht: Fight against over-fertilization in the Baltic Sea protection
For decades the Baltic Sea was plagued by eutrophication.
The sea is still not in good ecological condition.
The Helsinki Commission will meet in Lübeck on October 19 and 20.
She wants to decide on a new Baltic Sea Action Plan.
But is that enough?
Albrecht: Fight against over-fertilization in the Baltic Sea protection
Hoffenheim's U19 coach Rapp becomes a coach at Holstein Kiel
Holstein Kiel has found a new trainer.
Marcel Rapp succeeds the resigned Ole Werner.
He will receive a contract until 2024. He will be presented on Monday.
Hoffenheim's U19 coach Rapp becomes a coach at Holstein Kiel
Gazprom stops gas transit to Hungary via Ukraine
After decades, gas for Hungary will no longer be supplied from Russia via the Ukraine.
Is Moscow using the gas delivery as a targeted weapon?
Ukraine is pissed off.
Gazprom stops gas transit to Hungary via Ukraine
With a mobile disposal system for old ammunition, Germany would break new ground. It should also be able to be used not only in Schleswig-Holstein, but also in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, in Lower Saxony or further out in the exclusive economic zone. The Kiel minister sees the future federal government as having an obligation to achieve a fair burden-sharing in talks with the federal states.
The urgency of starting disposal is also revealed by the fact that almost completely rusted ammunition casings have been discovered on the seabed. According to experts, the explosive escapes and is detected in sediment, in water and also in living beings. According to the Ministry of the Environment in Kiel, the hotspots are in the known dump areas. The progressive corrosion also makes it difficult to precisely identify the ammunition bodies and to retrieve them later. This could become another cost driver. Consequently, it would make sense not only for the marine environment to salvage the ammunition soon, but also for reasons of cost.
Due to the natural conditions, salvage from the Baltic Sea is considered easier compared to the North Sea.
A lower current, the lack of tide and shallower water depths are important factors.
In addition, there is greater knowledge about the sinking areas of the Baltic Sea.
As a result, the recovery could start in the Kolberger Heide or in the Lübeck Bay.
The industry will have to provide the technical capacities for disposal.
The Kiel Ministry of the Environment assumes that there are shipyard capacities in Schleswig-Holstein for the construction of a disposal platform.
In addition, additional staff will be required in authorities or in a possible coordination office - probably another topic of discussion for the federal and state governments.
dpa