From a DC-3 to BOSB: The Road to a Breakthrough in Military Safety Measures Against the Risks of Historic, Explosive Ordnance

Abstract

AbstractApproximately 175,000 mines were laid in the Baltic Sea during the world wars, and in former mined areas in general, 10‐30% of the mines remain sunken on the seabed. The search for a Swedish aircraft downed in 1952 led to the finding of previously unknown minefields in the Baltic Sea. Subsequent historic research has identified approximately 1,985 minefields in the Baltic Sea and 4,400 minefields in the North Sea. These historic minefields present an impediment to the use of the Baltic and North Seas and are a real danger to the increasing shipping, fishery, and exploration of the seabed. The Baltic Ordnance Safety Board (BOSB) was established in 2006 to assemble information on mines and other explosives in the Baltic Sea, to prioritize areas for mine clearance, and to coordinate multinational mine clearance efforts across the Baltic Sea. The BOSB has improved the efficiency of mine clearance and the safety of seafarers and all those who have the seabed as their working ground.