Polish sailors neutralised 16 historic water mines as part of NATO exercise in Estonia

Sixteen munitions, including those from the two world wars, were neutralised during a NATO historic mine clearance operation in Estonia’s territorial waters. Sailors from Poland took part in the exercise, BNS news agency reported on Thursday.

Representatives of NATO allied armies worked closely with the Estonian navy. Ships and crews from Poland, Belgium, Germany, the Netherlands, Lithuania and Estonia took part in the exercise.

Participants in naval operations in Estonian waters spent a total of around 120 hours searching for, identifying and neutralising unexploded ordnance.

An area of more than 22 square miles was searched; 228 objects were identified as potential munitions, 16 were positively identified and neutralised.

“During the world wars, the entire Baltic Sea was intensely mined, but some areas of it were mined particularly densely,” said Lieutenant Commander Piotr Bartosevich, who heads the NATO Standing Mine Defence Force Group 1 (SNMCMG1). “Estonian waters are one of the most mined areas in the world and provide a valuable opportunity to train and enhance the combat readiness of SNMCMG1,” – added the Polish commander.

Source: PortalMorski.pl