RIGHT NOW: Sharp missile - flights and sea traffic are stopped

Denmark

Missile failure on Danish frigate - shipping is closed

Knut Sahlin Ekberg

Updated 17.03 | Published 15.58

A missile failure has occurred on board a frigate in the Danish Korsør.

A missile is now at risk of being fired and shipping traffic has been suspended.

- It is the first time I have heard of something like this in my 37-38 years, says military analyst Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen to BT. 

It is the Danish navy's frigate Niels Juel that has suffered problems. The ship is located at the fleet's port in Korsør in western Zealand.

Maritime traffic in the Great Belt has been stopped, the Danish defense announced in a press release. The airspace has also been closed.

The risk area is calculated between 5 to 7 kilometers from Korsør and 1,000 meters up in the air.

The Danish frigate Niels Juel in the harbor of Korsør. The photo is from an earlier time. Photo: Wiki

It was in connection with a mandatory test where the so-called ejector was activated and now cannot be deactivated.

A missile therefore risks being fired.

Sharp Harpoon Missile

The harpoon missile is 4.5 meters long and weighs up to 800 kilograms.

It is sharp and contains explosives, which, however, are not activated. The missile cannot therefore explode in the event of a crash, reports TV2.

Defense specialists are on site and working to fix the problem. The police and the Danish Maritime Authority are also connected.

The ship is located in Korsør, both air and shipping traffic in the area has been stopped. Photo: Google Earth

Traffic on the E20 over the Great Belt Bridge just north of Korsør has not been stopped.

The infrastructure company Sund and Belt, which is responsible for the bridge, writes on the X that there is a risk of missile fragments falling, but that there should be no danger to traffic on the bridge.

 

Photo: Danish Armed Forces

Unusual breakdown

Danish military analyst Jens Wenzel Kristoffersen tells BT that this is a rare occurrence.

- It is the first time I have heard of something like this in my 37-38 years, so it is a rare event, he tells the newspaper.

He continues:

- Missiles must be tested, and it happens regularly, but it is difficult to say what has gone wrong here based on the scant information we have received so far.