Around 1,000 bombs dating to World War II have been found on the seabed of the Port of Thessaloniki, at the site of an ongoing expansion of the port’s sixth pier.
The discovery has raised concern for the administration of the Thessaloniki Port Authority and the city, as the bombs were found beneath the area where construction and dredging work is underway.
The bombs have an estimated combined weight of between 15,000 and 20,000 tons. They are located both beneath the caissons forming the surface infrastructure of the pier extension and at the entrance and exit area of the upgraded pier, where dredging is planned to allow larger ships to approach the port.
The bombs were detected during a magnetic survey of the sixth pier. Around 80 of the estimated 1,000 bombs weigh more than 50 kilograms.
The Port Authority has requested immediate assistance from the Greek state to collect and remove the bombs, saying the operation is well beyond the capabilities of both the port and the construction consortium carrying out the sixth pier expansion.
The most likely scenario is that German forces dumped the bombs into the sea when they left Thessaloniki in 1944.
Their removal is expected to require specialized services of the Greek Armed Forces, potentially working with private contractors to accelerate the operation.
