The cruise was a joint effort between GEOMAR, K.U.M. GmbH, and SeaTerra GmbH to test an in situ dissolved explosives sampling device on a newly-developed crawler for munitions inspection and clearance. The tests were conducted on FK LITTORINA near the Kolberger Heide munitions dumpsite. The crawler investigated several suspected munitions targets identified from bathymetric maps from the DSM group at GEOMAR. One object was likely a large stone, but a second target appeared to be a two-meter ground mine. Dissolved explosives were sampled near the targets using the XploTaker device developed during the EMFF-funded ExPloTect project. The XploTaker is visible mounted on the top of the crawler in the images. Explosive samples were then measured onboard LITTORINA by the Xplotector, a portable and automated system also developed during the ExPloTect project. Together, these innovative systems provide the necessary tools for inspection, clearance, and contamination monitoring during remediation of underwater muntions.
Aaron Beck, GEOMAR
