Danish navy missile mishap halts Baltic Sea traffic
The Danish Navy is currently conducting exercises in the Baltic Sea. During these exercises, they encountered a significant issue: they fired a missile launcher that could not be deactivated. Consequently, air and sea traffic through the Danish Strait of the Great Belt has been suspended.
This Thursday, the Danish maritime authority issued a warning to ships, advising against sailing through the Great Belt Strait due to the potential danger posed by "falling rocket fragments". The strait is an integral part of the busiest maritime route in the Baltic Sea.
According to a military statement, the issue arose during a routine test when the missile launcher was unintentionally activated and could not be subsequently turned off.
"Due to a technical problem with the missile launcher, the airspace and nautical traffic in the Great Belt were suspended on Thursday afternoon. Experts are currently addressing the situation, but it's unclear how long this will take," the Danish Armed Forces said.
Both maritime and air traffic in the area have come to a halt. The suspension affects an area approximately two and a half miles south of the Great Belt bridge, which spans the strait. Despite this, as noted by its operators, the bridge remains open for vehicles.
The military's statement detailed further that the risk zone is estimated to stretch around 3-4 miles from the Korsør naval station, extending upwards to a height of about 3280 feet above the water towards the south, but not towards the Great Belt bridge.
Authorities have cautioned that as long as the missile launcher remains active, there is a risk that the missile could be launched inadvertently and travel several miles further than intended.
