The Baltic Sea has a large proportion of mines, munitions and chemical warfare agents from the Second World War still on the bottom.
An investigation by the Swedish Maritime Administration in 2012 discovered around 50,000 suspicious objects, which could be ammunition and mines. They are not dangerous as long as they lie untouched on the seabed.
The fisherman off Langeland in Southern Denmark contacted the Danish authorities as soon as it became clear what was in the net.
Know what to do
– Fishermen know what to do when they get ammunition in the net. They contact the authorities and then the navy’s minesweepers come and look at it, says Danish Defense Force spokesperson Aein Amripour.
Once in place, roughly three kilometers south of Langeland, the minesweepers could carefully bring the bomb back into the water, then with a smaller explosive charge attached to the side.
When it reached the correct depth, the explosive charge was detonated and the bomb was rendered harmless.