An unexploded sea mine has been found floating near the Gode Wind 2 offshore wind farm in the German North Sea, Germany’s Central Command for Maritime Emergencies (Havariekommando) reports.
The mine, believed to be from World War II, was spotted at the edge of the wind farm on Tuesday morning , 10 January, by the crew of a security vessel working on the wind farm.
Havariekommando deployed the multi-purpose ship Mellum, accompanied by a vessel from the Federal Police, to tow the mine to a detonation site.
The vessel towed the mine to a site between the uninhabited islands of Minsener Oog and Mellum where the mine is expected to be detonated on Wednesday afternoon during the low tide.
The agency initially planned to detonate the mine offshore, but the plan was changed due to unfavourable weather conditions.
Gode Wind 2 is a 252MW offshore wind farm located approximately 45 kilometres off the coast of Germany.
DONG Energy holds a 50% share in Gode Wind 2, while the remaining 50% owned by a consortium of four Danish pension funds (PKA, Industriens Pension, Lærernes Pension und Lægernes Pensionskasse).