Results of research on contingency plans carried out under the CHEMSEA project – Chemical ammunition dumped in the Baltic Sea – search and risk assessment

Based on the provisions of the Potsdam Agreement (signed in August 1945), which stated, among other things, that: “all arms, ammunition and implements of war and all types of equipment for their production shall be held at the disposal of the Allies or destroyed. The maintenance and production of all aircraft and all arms, ammunition and implements of war shall be prevented,” the Allied powers began destroying surplus war spoils, including chemical weapons. An analysis of the released documentation conducted many years later showed that officially, between 42,000 and 65,000 tons of German-produced chemical ammunition from World War II were deposited on the Baltic Sea floor. Unconfirmed witness testimonies suggest that these quantities may be significantly higher.The items primarily dumped in the Baltic Sea included: artillery ammunition, grenades, aerial bombs, barrels containing chemical warfare agents (CWA), as well as other war materials. Assuming that chemical warfare agents account for an average of approximately 15% of the ammunition weight, it is estimated that a total of 6,000 to 13,000 tons of CWA were dumped. (…)

Results of research on contingency plans carried out under the CHEMSEA project – Chemical ammunition dumped in the Baltic Sea – search and risk assessment – PDF file for download