The 'Paardenmarkt'

A great deal of military equipment was left behind in Belgium after the First World War. Many accidents occurred while collecting and temporarily storing this equipment. The situation gradually became intolerable and at the end of 1919 the government decided to dump the munitions in the sea. For six months, a shipload of munitions was dumped on the shallow sandbank off Knokke-Heist known as 'Paardenmarkt' on a daily basis (see map).

This affair was then totally forgotten, until 1971 when dredging workers to the east of the port of Zeebrugge came across huge quantities of munitions. An extensive investigation was carried out by Navy divers. Following this investigation, the area is now indicated on geographic charts as a rectangle covering approximately 1.5 km² and a ban has been imposed on fishing and anchoring in this area.

In the 1980s, further investigations were carried out and on the basis of these new results, the rectangle was increased to form a pentagon with a total surface area of approximately 3 km². The ban on fishing and anchoring remains.

No-one knows exactly how much material was dumped in the Paardenmarkt. Estimates stand at 35,000 tonnes. It probably consists of German munitions, mainly 77 mm shells that are often still packed in crates. It is generally accepted that about one third of this probably consist of poisonous gas grenades.

In the mid-1990s a detailed investigation was carried out and sediment and water samples were taken. The samples were analysed for organic components, in particular the decomposition products of mustard gas. The analysis results are negative.

Given the short distance from the coast, it remains extremely important to continue to monitor the munitions dump on a regular basis. In doing so, Belgium also complies with international agreements on (old) munitions dumps: don't touch, but monitor.

On October 11, 2002, the minister for Environment Jef Tavernier presented a new policy for the Paardenmarkt. You can obtain a brochure (in Dutch) at MUMM (s.maebe@mumm.ac.be or 02/773.21.11) or download a PDF version (6pp, 457KB). A press release is also available in Dutch or French.