Hundreds of WWII shells found on port of Thessaloniki seabed

Hundreds of shells and other projectiles from World War II have been discovered during a survey of the seabed in the port of Thessaloniki, Greek state broadcaster ERTNews reported on Wednesday.

The munitions were found in an area earmarked for the planned expansion of the port's sixth pier.

Around 80 of them are believed to be bombs weighing more than 50 kilograms each, which were located during a magnetic survey of the seabed, news website Voria reported.

It is thought that German troops threw the bombs into the sea during their hasty retreat from Thessaloniki as the Red Army advanced through the Balkans in October 1944.

Construction work on the concrete elements of the pier is currently scheduled for completion in March 2027. The seabed must be cleared by that date, according to the reports, so that work on the harbour expansion can proceed on time.

Local authorities have asked the government for support in carrying out further surveys and safely disposing of the munitions, the Greek public broadcaster reported.