Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent steps he has taken with international partners to dispose of legacy marine mines.

The Secretary of State for Defence has no direct responsibility for munitions in the marine environment, except for those associated with Ministry of Defence (MOD) wrecks. Environmental stewardship is important to the MOD and we continue to work closely with our international partners and allies to ensure the safety of personnel and the marine environment.

Most legacy naval mines remain in situ in the marine environment, due to non-recovery following deployment during World Wars I and II. In the UK the current position for naval mines is that they are to be left undisturbed unless they become a hazard to public safety and shipping. If they remain undisturbed, they do not pose significant harm to human health or the marine environment. Where mines are identified as a hazard around the UK the MOD provides support to civil authorities to assist with disposal, should they request it.

We work actively within NATO’s Explosive Ordnance Disposal Working Group and other allied partnerships on opportunities to improve understanding, methods, and techniques for the management and disposal of naval mines. In April 2024 the MOD supported maritime historic disposal operations through Operation Open Spirit in the Baltic Sea. The purpose of this annual operation is to reduce the risk of mines to civilians through the detection and disposal of World War I and II historic ordnance, much of which is naval mines.