Relics from 1944 resurface with low water
Near Prahovo in Serbia, low water levels in the Danube are revealing German warship wrecks scuttled by their crews in 1944 as they retreated before the Red Army. The heat driving down river levels is making these war relics increasingly visible, some of which will be salvaged in the coming years. Others have already been hauled ashore.
The crews scuttled their ships to block the river
At the end of World War II, Wehrmacht forces retreated before the advancing Red Army and, as part of their withdrawal, sank their own ships in the Danube. The plan was to prevent the enemy from using the river as a supply line. This intentional obstruction still affects navigation today.
EU project aims to clear 21 wrecks by 2028
In response to the blockage, an EU-backed project under the Western Balkans Investment Framework has begun raising the 21 most obstructive wrecks. The European Investment Bank (EIB), a strategic partner in the initiative, confirmed that some wrecks in a five-kilometre bottleneck of the Danube were already recovered in 2024.
The EIB described the work as complex. The area where the ships are located was cleared of mud, and vessels were pulled from the river using ropes. Serbia's deputy minister for construction, transport and infrastructure was cited in 2024 as describing the effort. The EIB reported that completion is expected by 2028.
Historically, it was estimated that around 200 vessels lay on the Danube bed, including damaged cargo ships, tugs and barges. Salvaging military equipment belonging to different armed forces poses additional difficulties. Some of these wrecks could still contain live ammunition, making the recovery effort potentially explosive.
Wrecks cost Serbia millions in annual losses
According to the EIB, the removal of the first 21 wrecks is driven in part by economic concerns. The blockage had caused significant delays in freight movement, resulting in an estimated annual loss of five million euros for Serbia.
To deal with this, divers and pumps were deployed to remove sand and silt. However, Banjac, a project official, noted that some wrecks were too large to be recovered and were instead buried deeper in the riverbed to avoid disrupting shipping further.
In July 2024, the EIB provided a 16 million euro subsidy for the project. The aim is to boost inland waterway competitiveness in Serbia and the wider region. The project forms part of a 30 billion euro Economic and Investment Plan for the Western Balkans, with the goal of shifting more freight traffic from roads to water.