A military ordnance was recently found on a conveyer belt at a seafood-processing firm in the U.S. state of Delaware.
As first reported by CoastTV, local firefighters responded to an incident at Milford, Delaware, U.S.A.-based Sea Watch International on 30 December, but the nature of the incident was “withheld.” Delaware State Police confirmed to SeafoodSource that the emergency was a military ordnance found on a conveyer belt used by the company to offload clams from trucks.
“Preliminary evidence suggests the ordnance likely originated from the ocean, as it was a common practice during World War I to dispose of such materials at sea,” a Delaware State Police spokesperson told SeafoodSource.
The Delaware State Police Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team was able to assist local responders in recovering the ordinance. After it was safely secured, the ordnance was transferred to Dover Air Force Base for assessment and disposal without further incident.
This isn’t the first time Sea Watch International, a major clam harvester and processor, has had to contend with discarded military equipment. The U.S. military discarded surplus artillery shells and explosives in two large dumping sites along the mid-Atlantic, and the long-abandoned ordnances are occasionally recovered incidentally by clam harvesters.
In 2015, two artillery rounds that may have contained mustard gas were reportedly discovered at Sea Watch International. A more serious incident took place in 2012, when a leaking explosive device was found during a delivery of clams to Sea Watch International. At that time, six responders were sent to a hospital for assessment and treatment.
“The Delaware State Police has responded to similar incidents at Sea Watch International in the past,” Delaware State Police told SeafoodSource. “While each case is unique, such recoveries are infrequent but not unprecedented.”
