The UC-30, a German submarine carrying 18 mines and six torpedoes, struck a British mine on April 19, 1917, near Rømø and sank with all 27 crew members aboard. The wreck remained undiscovered until 2016, when Danish diver Gert Normann Andersen located it on the seafloor. Researchers from Aarhus University, working with navy divers, subsequently collected samples of water, sediment, and marine life from around the wreck to assess environmental contamination.
The investigation revealed that explosive material from the submarine is leaching into the surrounding marine environment. Traces of TNT were detected in wildlife, seabed sediment, and the water column surrounding the wreck. Researchers determined that pollution is actively occurring, though they noted it likely remains relatively localized. However, they warned that contamination may worsen as the wreck continues to deteriorate over time, exposing additional explosive materials.
The UC-30 represents only one of thousands of vessels on the seafloor in Danish waters. A 2024 report commissioned by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency identified 10,127 wrecks in Danish territorial waters, with approximately 15 percent dating from the period around the two world wars. These historical wrecks pose ongoing environmental risks to the marine ecosystem through the release of various contaminants.
Addressing pollution from submerged wrecks presents significant technical and environmental challenges. Removing explosives from wreck sites is costly, and detonating munitions underwater can potentially spread contaminants rather than contain them, depending on local currents and seafloor conditions. Researchers working through the EU-funded REMARCO project are exploring alternatives, including the use of seabed robots that can map munition locations and monitor deteriorating wrecks. Some advanced robots may eventually be capable of retrieving items and neutralizing them, though scientists acknowledge that removing material from every wreck would be impractical and unnecessary, particularly for vessels buried beneath sediment.
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