Sea mine removed from IJ in Amstedam

By Janene Pieters on April 4, 2018 - 10:30
Port of Amsterdam boats responding to an area on the IJ where a WWII sea mine was found, 1 Feb 2018
Port of Amsterdam boats responding to an area on the IJ where a WWII sea mine was found, 1 Feb 2018. (Photo: Zachary Newmark / NL Times)

On Wednesday morning the Ministry of Defense's Explosive Ordnance Disposal team removed a sea mine from the IJ in Amsterdam. The World War II mine, which weighs around 600 kilograms, was discovered in the river late in January. It will be detonated in Markermeer on Wednesday afternoon, NU.nl reports.

Shipping traffic around the IJ is temporarily halted while the EOD works in the area. Other traffic in Amsterdam may also be affected. Public works department Rijkswaterstaat advises motorists in the Dutch capital to keep an eye on traffic information services. 

The German sea mine was found in the IJ near Java Island during dredging work in January. It's been there since the Second World War. 

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