According to their own statements, the shipyard German Naval Yards Kiel and Rheinmetall Project Solutions GmbH want to build an offshore platform for ammunition disposal together with another partner.The ammunition disposal platform newly developed by the partners could already be used as a pilot plant in the Kolberger Heide dumping area at the entrance to the Kiel Fjord for the environmentally friendly disposal of conventional ordnance such as torpedo heads, mines and artillery shells in the first half of 2024.
According to estimates, there are around 1.6 million tons of conventional and 220,000 tons of chemical warfare munitions on the seabed off the German North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts. The danger posed to the environment and people by the old munitions in the Baltic Sea has been known for many years. Politicians, associations and environmental organizations have been searching for suitable solutions in intensive discussions for a long time.
According to German Naval Yards, based on the knowledge gained with the pilot plant, further platforms tailored to the respective application scenarios could then be created, so that the disposal of chemical munitions would also be possible.
It is said that both companies have been in close contact with experts and explosive ordnance clearance services since the end of 2020 in order to identify and design safety requirements before and during the handling of ammunition at sea. In some cases, preliminary contracts have already been signed with several leading suppliers of the necessary systems for the entire process chain, so that the ever-growing risk to people and the environment can be tackled as quickly as possible once the contract has been awarded.
With Rheinmetall, German Naval Yards has an experienced and powerful partner who has by far the most extensive experience in dealing with ammunition in a nationwide comparison. The shipyard, in turn, has a comprehensive infrastructure with the space, facilities and employees to build an appropriate platform and integrate the necessary systems. Furthermore, the Kiel shipyard wants to reserve areas to accompany and support all process steps as a logistical control center.
According to the report, the developed concept includes all process steps that are necessary from discovery and identification to salvage and disposal. Another advantage of this approach is the use and linking of certified and proven plants and systems that are already in use, so that the complex and expensive development of corresponding components is largely eliminated. Due to the modular design and scalability of the platform, subsequent adaptation to other conditions (e.g. type of ammunition, condition of the ammunition, quantity to be destroyed) can easily be implemented.
Editor / lah
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