On May 27 international mine countermeasures operation Open Spirit 2016 held in the exclusive economic zone and international waters of Lithuania concluded from May 16. The largest operation in the Baltic Sea this year, Open Spirit 2016 resulted in surveying 54 nautical miles of seafloor, identification of 912 objects with 18 confirmed to be explosives (15 naval mines and 3 torpedoes). All but one of the explosives were destroyed on the sport with explosives of smaller demolition power. There were also 34 anchors of naval mines, fragments of two missiles, 3 dummy naval mines, and 3 shipwrecks were found while searching for explosives remnants of World War I and World War II.
"The international exercise Open Spirit 2016 is vital for Lithuania because our Baltic Sea area has not been cleared of historical explosive remnants of wars. The exercise is held on a rotating basis in one of the Baltic States each year because none of us possess national capabilities to do it on our own. Therefore we a deeply grateful to all the participants and we appreciate your contribution of ships, crews and diving teams to make the Baltic Sea mine-free and our environment safer," Minister J.Olekas said at Open Spirit 2016 DV Day on May 26.
Operation Open Spirit 2016 will be wrapped up on May 27. This year it involved 19 warships, 10 EOD divers' teams and other specialists from 14 allied and partner nations: Belgium, Canada, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, United Kingdom and the United States, and the total of roughly 900 military personnel.
The majority of Open Spirit 206 participants were ships and crews assigned to Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1.SNMCMG1 and the Baltic Squadron (BALTRON).
Operation Open Spirit was organised by the Lithuanian Navy and directed by Chief of Staff of the Lithuanian Navy Commander Svajūnas Bandzevičius.
The multinational explosive ordnance detection and neutralisation operation Open Spirit is a sustained effort of the Baltic States, Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania, to find and destroy explosive remnants from World War I and World War II in the three countries' sea area, thus cutting the risks to maritime navigation, fishery and other economic activities. Operation Open Spirit has been held in the Baltic States on a rotating basis since 1997.
CIMIC officer, Lithuanian Navy, Lieutenant (Navy) Antanas Brencius, 00370 46 391 207, 00370 698 18 196, e-mail: antanas.brencius@mil.lt
Credits: PO1 Audrius Vitkauskas, Ieva Budzeikaitė and Giedrė Maksimovicz (DV Day of Open Spirit 2016).
