INNOVATIE

General information

Course/Position

Latest news

Defusal of aerial bomb completed

The World War II aerial bomb found during dredging work in the Rhine at the construction site of the news Pfaffendorf Bridge in Koblenz is to be defused aboard the 'Innovatie' on April 4. The area has been evacuated. According to the Rhineland-Palatinate Bomb Disposal Service, both detonators of the 500-kilogram bomb are still intact. The defusing will take place this morning in the area of ​​the Gülser Mosel bend. For this purpose, the area within a 1,000-meter radius of the ship had to be evacuated. The evacuation of the affected area has been in effect since 8:30 a.m. No one other than emergency personnel is allowed to remain there. Access to the area has been blocked. Emergency personnel are currently monitoring the evacuation area to ensure that no one is actually left there. At 10 a.m., the bomb disposal team received approval to defuse the bomb. The evacuation zone also affects part of Koblenz-Lay. Among other things, the elementary school and the daycare center are affected there. On the other side of the Moselle, the campsite and the Güls sports harbor had to be evacuated. According to the city, the children from the daycare center and the Lay elementary school who cannot be cared for privately were accommodated in the Lay Schützenhalle (shooting hall). There, they are cared for by staff from the school, daycare center, and youth welfare office. Those affected by the evacuation and who cannot find alternative accommodation can stay in the Legia hall since 8 a.m. The city pointed out that pets were not allowed. Furthermore, there is no food available there. 46 people gathered at the Legiahalle and accepted the offer. The federal highway B416 on the left bank of the Moselle and the railway line along the Moselle has been closed during the bomb disposal operation. The Federal highway B327 (Hunsrückhöhen St.) and the Layer Bergweg remained unaffected. Ship traffic on the Moselle must wait until the bomb disposal operation is complete. A citizens' hotline has been set up at the Koblenz Fire Department for questions from the public: +49 261 40404-8000. Approximately 180 personnel from the public order office, fire department, police, bomb disposal service, disaster control units of the Malteser and German Red Cross, as well as the emergency services and other agencies are involved in the bomb disposal operation. The bomb was successfully defused at 10:47 a.m. Report with photo: https://www.stern.de/gesellschaft/regional/rheinland-pfalz-saarland/notfaelle--bombe-auf-schiff-in-koblenz-erfolgreich-entschaerft-35611678.html

Bomb was discovered during dredging work

During dredging work by: the 'Innovatie' in the Rhine near the Pfaffendorf Bridge on April 1, 202a5, a 500-kilogram World War II bomb was discovered. The unexploded bomb, which had two intact detonators, was loaded onto the dredger. For safety reasons, the ship was moved to the Moselle Lock in Koblenz. Experts from the Rhineland-Palatinate Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service decided that the bomb could not be relocated. Therefore, the defusing must take place directly on the ship. After extensive investigation, the Gülser Mosel bend was determined to be the most suitable location for defusing. The necessary infrastructure is in place there, and the evacuation effort can be minimized. While approximately 16,000 people would have had to be evacuated from the site where the bomb was found in the Rhine, the number at the chosen defusing site is approximately 1,000. The defusing is planned for April 4. The evacuation area must be cleared by 8:30 a.m. Only after the evacuation is complete can the bomb disposal team begin defusing the bomb on the dredger. Residential accommodations will be provided in Lay for children from the elementary school and daycare center, as well as for other affected individuals. Report with photo: https://www.blick-aktuell.de/Nachrichten/Koblenz-Bombe-muss-auf-Baggerschiff-entschaerft-werden-623511.html