Federal Centre of Excellence for the Recovery of Munitions from the Sea

2026-07-02
A boost for the sector

The recovery of munitions contamination from the North Sea and the Baltic Sea is receiving further political backing: with the establishment of the BKMEER, the new Federal Centre of Excellence for Munitions Recovery from the Sea, in Rostock, the federal government is creating a central platform to bring together expertise from research, public authorities and the maritime industry. The aim is to coordinate and accelerate, in the long term, the clearance of an estimated 1.6 million tonnes of abandoned munitions in German maritime areas.

Federal Centre of Excellence for the Recovery of Munitions
© Fraunhofer IGD
Überschrift

Why this is important

More than 80 years after the end of the Second World War, dumped bombs, shells and mines continue to pose a significant danger. Due to corrosion, harmful substances such as TNT and other explosive components are increasingly entering the marine environment. At the same time, the risks to shipping, offshore wind farms, cable routes, fisheries and coastal infrastructure are growing.

The centre of excellence is intended to bring together scientific findings, modern recovery technologies and practical experience more effectively in future. The federal government is focusing on innovative methods and building on the emergency programme for munitions recovery, which has already been launched and has been allocated 100 million euros. In the long term, industrial recovery platforms are also set to be deployed.

Significance for Baltic Diver Germany

For companies with maritime operations and recovery expertise, this sends a clear signal: munitions recovery is increasingly evolving from individual pilot projects into a long-term national task.

Baltic Taucher has extensive experience in demanding offshore operations, underwater work and dealing with complex maritime challenges. The further expansion of structures, technologies and partnerships opens additional opportunities to contribute existing expertise to future projects and to play an active role in shaping the development of innovative recovery methods.

Our conclusion

The establishment of the BKMEER in Rostock is far more than an organisational decision. It underlines that the recovery of abandoned munitions is becoming a long-term societal and maritime task for the future. For the entire industry, this creates new opportunities for innovation, collaboration and the expansion of technical expertise – developments that Baltic Diver Germany will closely monitor and actively help to shape.

co-funded by EU
Clean2
Feasibility of ship hull cleaning in conjunction with water treatment

Feasibility study in accordance with Section 4.2 of the Directive on the Promotion of Research, Development and Innovation of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania dated 10 April 2015, amended on 27 May 2019

European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) Programme of the State of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania – Funding period 2021 to 2027