BALTIC LIFT

Allgemeine Informationen

Kurs/Position

Die neuesten Nachrichten

Crane ship deployed for pilot project for munitions recovery at sunken barge

A pilot project for munitions recovery was to start on Aug 9, 2025, on the Mecklenburg Baltic coast off Boltenhagen. In 30 days, up to 15 tons of old World War II munitions were to be retrieved from the seabed at a depth of around 22 meters. The munitions will then be disposed of. The company, Baltic Taucherei- und Bergungsbetrieb (Baltic Diving and Salvage Company), in Rostock was contracted for this task, and the "Baltic Lift," was scheduled to depart Rostock on Aug 8 toward the Bay of Wismar. The majority of the 80-year-old munitions, such as grenades and rocket-propelled grenades, was likely buried under meters of sediment and mud. The 30-day operation near Großklützhöved off Boltenhagen (Rostock district) is part of the emergency program for the removal of old ammunition in the North and Baltic Seas, for which a total of 100 million euros in federal funds has been made available. The cost of the salvage off Boltenhagen is estimated at around five million euros. In the Bay of Wismar, the old ammunition was sunk together with a barge, which is why the majority of the ammunition is likely located next to the barge, which is lying bottom up. The total volume was estimated at just under 1,000 tons. The project's primary goal was to gather information about ammunition and salvage. The clearance work was to run 24/7 with the team working in two shifts of 24 employees each. On board the converted "Baltic Lift," formerly a tanker, are several submersible elevators that take the divers to a depth of 22 meters. The ammunition is pre-sorted underwater and loaded separately into crates. It is then transported by ship to Wismar, from where it is transported to a federal disposal facility.

Sheerleg raised sunken trawler in Dänholm

The decommissioned German trawler "Rudolf Virchow-SAS 252", which sank on May 25, 2025, in the fishing port of Dänholm in the Strelasund Strait, was raised by the 'Baltic Lift' on the evening of July 15,. The historic vessel will now be scrapped at the Volkswerft Shipyard in 'Stralsund. Divers had attached two straps to the bow and stern of the wreck, which was first righted and drained. The contaminated water from the hull was pumped onto special vehicles on site for proper disposal. The "Rudolf Virchow" passed the Ziegelgraben Bridge in Stralsund on the morning of July 16 in the slings of the floating crane, which moored at the Volkswert Stralsund at 7 a.m. UTC. Around ten salvors had been involved in the operation, including divers, assistants, and two captains. The cause of the sinking of the 24-meter-long vessel was still unknown. The water police initiated proceedings against an unknown person due to leaked operating fluids; as the owner of the vessel, which had been moored at the Dänholm quay for many years, was initially unknown. The "Rudolf Virchow" was built in Barth in 1952 and is considered one of the last fishing boats that belonged to the fishing fleet of the GDR. Reports with photos and video: https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/stralsund-gesunkener-fischkutter-rudolf-virchow-gehoben,mvregiogreifswald-368.html https://www.tagesschau.de/inland/regional/mecklenburgvorpommern/daenholm-taucher-bergen-gesunkenen-fischkutter-rudolf-virchow,mvregiogreifswald-362.html https://www.ndr.de/nachrichten/mecklenburg-vorpommern/Alter-Hochseekutter-in-Stralsund-gesunken,kutter414.html https://www.ostsee-zeitung.de/lokales/vorpommern-ruegen/stralsund/lag-seit-15-jahren-am-daenholm-stralsunds-letzter-hochseekutter-ist-gesunken-2EDI75UDQBBHDLNZD2QV3OOUMI.html https://www.ostsee-zeitung.de/lokales/vorpommern-ruegen/stralsund/stralsund-sechs-wochen-nach-dem-sinken-hat-die-bergung-der-rudolf-virchow-begonnen-LMRVYH5QANEODERKOWJC7IJ2UE.html https://www.ostsee-zeitung.de/lokales/ungewisse-zukunft-fuer-kutter-virchow-I6IRYPERUUIKQ62FUASOZBVGPU.html