Key developments since May 2005: In November 2005, Denmark announced that it would allocate DKK86 million (nearly US$15 million) to clear landmines from the Skallingen peninsula, which it first reported as a mined area in its Article 7 report in 1999. In May 2006, a British commercial company was selected from among the five companies that pre-qualified. Denmark ratified CCW Protocol V on Explosive Remnants of War on 28 June 2005. Denmark destroyed 1,929 of its retained antipersonnel mines in training activities in 2005, leaving 60 mines.
Denmark signed the Mine Ban Treaty on 4 December 1997 and ratified it on 8 June 1998, becoming a State Party on 1 March 1999. No additional legal or administrative measures were deemed necessary for national implementation of the treaty.[1]
Denmark submitted its annual Article 7 transparency report on 8 May 2006 for 1 April 2005 to 30 March 2006. It included voluntary Form J with information on its Claymore mines and retained mines. Denmark submitted seven annual reports previously.[2]
Denmark attended the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in Zagreb, Croatia in November-December 2005, where it made a statement on mine action. Denmark also attended the intersessional Standing Committee meetings in Geneva in June 2005 and May 2006. At both meetings it made statements on its mine clearance program.
Denmark has participated in State Party deliberations on matters of interpretation and implementation related to Articles 1 and 2. Regarding the issue of assistance to non-States Parties during joint military operations, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has stated that Denmark would not involve itself in the planning or implementation of activities related to the laying of antipersonnel mines.[3] Asked for its view on the legality of the transit and/or storage of foreign antipersonnel mines on Danish territory, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated in 1999, “In accordance with Article 1 of the Ottawa Convention, Denmark cannot transfer to anyone, directly or indirectly, APMs or allow anyone to do so on Danish territory.”[4]
Regarding the issue of antivehicle mines with sensitive fuzes and antihandling devices, Denmark confirmed its position in April 2003 and March 2004, that the Mine Ban Treaty does not cover antivehicle mines that may function as antipersonnel mines. Denmark is concerned that other interpretations will inhibit universalization of the treaty, and considers the Convention on Conventional Weapons (CCW) to be the proper forum for discussion of antivehicle mines.[5] At the Fifth Meeting of States Parties and in intersessional meetings, Denmark has opposed discussion of this issue in the context of Article 2 of the Mine Ban Treaty.
Denmark is a State Party to the CCW and its Amended Protocol II on landmines. It attended the Seventh Annual Conference of States Parties to the protocol in November 2005, but did not submit an annual report in 2005 as required by Article 13.
Denmark ratified CCW Protocol V on explosive remnants of war on 28 June 2005.
Denmark has stated that production of antipersonnel mines ceased in the 1950s, and that it has never exported antipersonnel mines. The types and quantities produced have not been revealed.[6] Import of antipersonnel mines ceased in 1990.[7]
Denmark possessed a stockpile of 271,508 antipersonnel mines, consisting of four types.[8] Destruction started in 1997 after signing the Mine Ban Treaty, and was completed in December 1999 with the destruction of 266,517 mines.[9] Destruction took place well in advance of the treaty deadline of 1 March 2003.
Denmark opted to retain antipersonnel mines under Article 3 of the treaty. In 2006, it stated that the retained mines are “intended for demonstration and training purpose.”[10] As of March 2006, it had 60 M58 mines.[11] The quantity decreased significantly from the previous year as Denmark destroyed 1,929 M58 mines in training activities in 2005.[12] In 2004, it destroyed 60 M56 and 9 M58 mines.[13]
Initially, Denmark retained 4,991 antipersonnel mines. This was reduced to 2,091 in August 2000, as mines deemed redundant were transferred to Germany for destruction that was completed on 3 June 2001.[14]
Denmark did not utilize the new expanded Form D on retained mines agreed by States Parties at the Sixth Meeting of States Parties in November-December 2005.
Denmark’s Article 7 reports have not included the M18A1 Claymore mines and FFV013 Claymore-type mines previously acknowledged to be in stock. In March 2006, Denmark stated, “Tripwires and tripwire devices have been removed from Danish Claymore Mines and have been replaced by electric detonators. Hereby the mines can only be activated on command.”[15]
Denmark is affected by antipersonnel and antivehicle mines left over from World War II. Denmark declared in its first Article 7 report submitted on 27 August 1999 that Skallingen peninsula in northwest Jutland was a mined area containing antipersonnel mines.[16] It was mined in 1944 by German forces. Subsequent Article 7 reports all stated that no clearance activities had taken place in the reporting periods.
According to the 1999 Article 7 report, 1,600 antivehicle mines and 8,300 antipersonnel mines remained in an area of roughly 2.4 square kilometers after clearance operations stopped in 1946. Mine clearance in the immediate post-war period resulted in 166 fatalities, as the clearance was done with wooden frames put on the ground, inside which the prodding took place in a predetermined pattern (using wires to indicate where prodding inside the frames should take place).[17] After that initial risky endeavor, the area started to be cleared by tanks with fitted heavy rollers, but as the sand dunes were not accessible, clearance activities stopped and the area was fenced off in 1947.[18] According to information obtained from maps and other records, the remaining mines had been laid in a random distribution.[19]
No exact records of the minefield exist; although there are some general maps of the mine-laying (1:5,000 scale), no exact coordinates for the turning points and benchmarks are depicted. In addition, the Danish Coastal Authority has estimated that around 3,500 mines were destroyed by Danish army engineers responding to requests for clearance on a case-by-case basis from local authorities and the population over the years. These spot clearance tasks were not documented in detail.[20] The maximum number of mines believed to be remaining in the area is under 10,000,[21] with a working figure, according to one expert, of 7,000 mines.[22]
Views as to the level of the threat from the remaining mines have differed within Denmark. In June 2005, Denmark declared to the Standing Committee meetings in Geneva that: “it is our feeling that over the years the mines have more or less proved to be self-destructive, as the detonators are not functioning and the explosives seem to be inactive.... On this background, it is our firm belief that no danger exists any longer in connection with whatever traffic and movements in the area of Skallingen... I am convinced that in the near future it will be possible to find ways and means to come back to this Committee and officially declare Skallingen a mine safe area.”[23]
However, the Coastal Authority announced on 8 November 2005 that the decision had been made to clear Skallingen.[24] The decision was based on information provided by the Danish Army indicating that the mine threat was greater than initially expected. With the ground―the beach in particular―being very dynamic, mines can resurface at any time.[25] The Army estimated that approximately five percent of the mines (500 mines) originally placed on Skallingen are still likely to be fully functional. A further unknown number “can be brought to explode if handled by amateurs.”[26]
In Denmark, clearance of the Skallingen peninsula is under the responsibility of the Danish Coastal Authority (a department of the Ministry for Transport and Energy), which is also the owner of the affected area. In 2006, the Skallingen Mine Clearance Project was initiated as part of the activities of the Coastal Authority. Around 10 people were said to be working on the project.[27]
According to the Danish Coastal Authority, clearance on Skallingen will be initiated in three phases. Phases 1 and 2 were planned to be executed by 2008 and clearance of phase 3 will be decided thereafter, based on the lessons learned from the first two phases. Phase 3 is likely to be the most difficult area to clear as it is partly in the wetlands.[28]
Phase 1 was chosen to be cleared first as it is closest to the beach that is frequented in the summer and is also near to the 18 summer houses in the area, as well as being adjacent to the parking lot. It includes three separate areas, where approximately 31,000 square meters are sand dunes and 144,000 square meters are sandy beach. The Danish Coastal Authority, based on the topography of the area, expected the clearance to include considerable use of mechanical clearance assets.[29]
The authorities had to bear in mind that Skallingen peninsula in its entirety is covered by the Ramsar Convention of 2 February 1971 and the Council Directive of 21 May 1992 on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and Flora and Fauna. These provide that no motorized transport is allowed on the peninsula and, in some parts, dogs may not be brought in.[30] The necessary permits/derogations for clearance on the coast under Phase 1 were obtained from the Ministry for Environment on 22 March 2006, and the remaining permits for the sand beach and dunes had been received by late June 2006.[31]
No national mine action legislation and/or standards exist in Denmark. The operator chosen in the tender process, however, is required to submit standing operating procedures that are in line with International Mine Action Standards (IMAS) and to carry out clearance activities that respect those standards.[32]
Under Article 5 of the Mine Ban Treaty, Denmark is required to destroy all antipersonnel mines in mined areas under its jurisdiction or control as soon as possible, but no later than 1 March 2009. In its first Article 7 report in August 1999, Denmark stated that the area was being mapped and a plan for clearance would be developed.[33] Until 2005, however, no action was reported by the Danish government in terms of either survey or clearance activities. This does not appear to be in accord with the obligation to complete destruction of all antipersonnel mines “as soon as possible.”
Significant progress was made in late 2005. The government concluded, in November 2005, a political agreement regarding the fiscal bill for 2006. The agreement allocated a total of DKK86 million (over $14.5 million) for the clearance of mines in the dune and beach areas on Skallingen.[34] On 30 November 2005, at the Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Denmark announced that the allocated funds would cover clearance activities for 2006, 2007 and 2008.[35] The initial analysis of the state of the mines found on Skallingen, on which a calculation for clearance costs was based, was conducted by the Danish Army earlier in 2005.[36] But in a statement on compliance with Article 5 to the Standing Committee meetings in May 2006, Denmark did not indicate its intention or ability to meet the 2009 deadline.[37] Therefore, it remains unclear whether Denmark will be able to comply with the requirements of Article 5.
The Danish Army conducted an analysis of the state of the mines in the area in 2005. Also in 2005, the Danish Coastal Authority conducted an in-depth desk survey of archives and records, and comparison of aerial photographs, in order to determine more precisely the boundaries of the minefield. This was also necessary as part of the fence surrounding the mined area needed to be repaired or restored since much of the “permanent” fence demarcating the area had disappeared.[38]
The total size of the affected area was initially estimated at 2.4 square kilometers, but has since been reduced to 1.6 square kilometers, although a much larger area is fenced off.[39] With further threat assessment, the area that will eventually require clearance is expected to be reduced further.[40] The surveys and threat assessment conducted are said to have reduced the area requiring clearance in Phase 1 of the project from 300,000 square meters to 175,000 square meters.[41] No further details of these surveys and assessments were available as of early June 2006.
In mid-2005, eight kilometers of new fencing was erected to replace and complement an old fence and sign postings, according to IMAS. The fence was said to be one meter high and marked with red warning signs every 50 meters. A total area of 2.95 square kilometers was fenced off. [42] This included a buffer zone due to inconsistencies in the available mapping information. Of the total suspected area, 900,000 square meters are beaches, which are deemed to be mine polluted due to the eroding coastline.[43]
According to the Coastal Authority, the fencing of the southern part of Skallingen is long-term and will be maintained until the minefield is cleared or the danger no longer exists.[44]
Since 1947, no incidents related to mines have been reported in the area involving either people or livestock. As Skallingen itself is not populated, and as the possible at-risk population consists of mainly tourists and summer house owners, mine risk education (MRE) activities have been limited to the public dissemination of information.[45] This has been done through leaflets distributed by the Tourist Office and information on the mine risk in Skallingen posted at the internet site of the Danish Coastal Authority.[46]
The Prequalification Notice for clearance of Phase 1, published on 10 March 2006, described the clearance task as follows, “In the dunes the surface has locally changed since the mines were planted in 1944, and mines are in some places expected to be 10 meters below the present surface. In other areas the surface has remained unchanged. ... Based on a map, showing the changes in topography, the contractor shall detect the mines, uncover them and preferably take them to a central demolition site for demolition or destroy them in situ.”[47]
On 1 April 2006, the tender documents were sent to five companies that pre-qualified.[48] On 16 May 2006, European Land Solutions was chosen as the contractor to clear the first phase of Skallingen; the contract was for some DKK29 million (approximately $4.8 million).[49]
Clearance activities were expected to start on 6 June 2006.[50] Prior to this, the Coastal Authority planned to hold meetings with local authorities and residents in the local municipality of Blåvandshuk to inform them of what would take place.[51] The Coastal Authority will conduct internal quality assurance of the demining activities, but also planned to contract outside auditors for quality control of the process. According to the Prequalification Notice, the three separate areas under Phase 1 were to be handed over separately at different times, with the final hand-over to take place no later than 15 October 2006.[52] The schedule for clearance of the three areas in Phase 1 was: area B would be cleared by 1 July, area C by mid-August and area A by 15 October 2006.[53]
Because Skallingen peninsula is dynamic and has for the last 50 years been left mainly to nature, some areas that were previously a minefield on the beach have now been engulfed by the sea. Thus, the Danish Naval EOD Service will conduct clearance operations at the “surf” zone at Skallingen to two meters depth from the shore. Operations were expected to start in July, after European Land Solutions was expected to finish clearance of the first area (the beach). Clearance was planned to be conducted with explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) divers using underwater metal detectors. The area will be covered a minimum of twice, due to strong hydrographical environmental factors, with some months between each search.[54]
Denmark reported mine action contributions of DKK67,989,000 ($11,340,383) in 2005.[55] This was a decrease of about 17 percent from the DKK82.3 million ($13.7 million) provided by Denmark in 2004, and was less than the DKK78.6 million ($13 million) provided in 2003.[56] In 2005, Denmark made contributions to eight countries and six organizations as follows.[57]
In 2005, Denmark allocated funding to the same countries as in 2004, with the exception of Mozambique. As in previous years, the greater part of Denmark’s mine action funding was provided through Danish NGOs (some 75 percent). Mine action is funded through the Danish International Development Agency (Danida) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 2004, Denmark decided to supplement its mine action strategy with operational and practical guidelines and began to revise mine action policy.[58] By June 2006, Denmark had not yet launched the revised mine action strategy.[59]
Denmark also reported providing funding of DKK250,000 ($41,699) to the Nordic Demining Research Forum (NDRF) for research and development in 2005.[60]
[1] See Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 226; Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 680.
[2] Previous Article 7 reports were submitted on 28 June 2005, 21 June 2004, 30 April 2003, 29 April 2002, 30 April 2001, 7 August 2000, and 27 August 1999.
[3] Email from Ulrik Enemark Petersen, Head of Section, Foreign and Security Policy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 28 March 2003; Landmine Monitor Report 2002, p. 227.
[4] Response from Danny Annan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 24 March 1999.
[5] Telephone interview with Maj. Jørn Rasmussen, Section for Weapon Control, Danish Defense Command, 29 April 2003; email from John Kierulf, Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Department, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 March 2004. See also Landmine Monitor Report 2002, pp. 226-227.
[6] See Landmine Monitor Report 1999, pp. 581-582.
[7] For details of mines imported, see Landmine Monitor Report 1999, p. 582.
[8] Article 7 Report, Forms D and G, 27 August 1999. The four types were: M47 (97,095), M56 (102,432), M58 (59,211) and M66 (12,770).
[9] Article 7 Report, Form D, 27 August 1999. The quantities destroyed were: 97,095 type M47 mines, 102,372 M56s, 54,280 M58s and 12,770 M66s.
[10] Article 7 Report, Form J, 8 May 2006. In this and earlier Article 7 reports, Denmark reported that a demonstration is given to all conscripts during training, mine awareness instructors are trained in handling mines before international missions, and ammunition clearing units are trained in dismantling mines.
[11] Article 7 Report, Form D, 8 May 2006.
[12] Article 7 Report, Form G, 8 May 2006.
[13] Article 7 Report, Form G, 28 June 2005.
[14] Germany Article 7 Report, Form G, 16 April 2002.
[15] Article 7 Report, Form J, 8 May 2006. Danish officials have also stated previously that these mines have been modified. See Landmine Monitor Report 2001, p. 681. Use of Claymore mines with tripwires is prohibited by the Mine Ban Treaty, but use in command-detonated mode is permitted.
[16] Article 7 Report, Form C, 27 August 1999.
[17] The clearance efforts in Denmark following World War II (from 1945-1947) resulted in 166 fatalities and a similar number seriously injured. The casualties occurred in Skallingen and in other mined areas in Denmark, primarily on the west coast, that were cleared following World War II. Telephone interview with Bo Bischoff, Project Manager, Skallingen, Mine-Clearance Project, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 22 March 2006.
[18] Ibid.
[19] Article 7 Report, annex titled Submission under Article 7, 8 May 2006.
[20] Telephone interview with Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 22 March 2006.
[21] Danish Coastal Authority, “Prequalification Notice for Mine Clearance, Skallingen, Denmark,” www.kyst.dk, accessed 22 March 2006.
[22] Telephone interview with Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 22 March 2006.
[23] “Report by Denmark to the Intersessional Working Group,” Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 14 June 2005.
[24] Danish Coastal Authority, “Kystdirektoratet rydder miner på Skallingen,” www.kyst.dk, accessed 22 March 2006.
[25] Telephone interview with Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 22 March 2006; Article 7 Report, Submission under Article 7, 8 May 2006.
[26] Danish Coastal Authority, “Traffic on the southern part of Skallingen is prohibited,” www.kyst.dk, accessed 22 March 2006.
[27] Danish Coastal Authority, “Kystdirektorates organization,” www.kyst.dk, accessed 22 March 2006; telephone interview with Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 22 March 2006.
[28] Telephone interview with Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 22 March 2006.
[29] Ibid.
[30] Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Nature Department, “Vadehavet langli–Skallingen,” www.skovognatur.dk, accessed 4 March 2006.
[31] Email from Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, 22 June 2006.
[32] Telephone interview with Sam Christensen, Clearance Coordinator, Skallingen Mine-Clearance Project, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 26 April 2006.
[33] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 28.
[34] Article 7 Report, Submission under Article 7, 8 May 2006. At exchange rate on 22 May 2006, DKK86 million converts to US$14,688,876; ww.xe.com/ucc.
[35] Statement by Denmark, Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, 30 November 2005.
[36] Email from Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, 22 June 2006.
[37] Statement by Denmark, Standing Committee on Mine Clearance, Mine Risk Education and Mine Action Technologies, Geneva, 10 May 2006.
[38] Telephone interview with Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 22 March 2006.
[39] Danish Coastal Authority, “Prequalification Notice for Mine Clearance, Skallingen, Denmark;” statement by Denmark, Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, 30 November 2005.
[40] Telephone interview with Sam Christensen, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 24 March 2006.
[41] Telephone interview with Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 22 March 2006.
[42] Danish Coastal Authority, “Traffic on the southern part of Skallingen is prohibited;” statement by Denmark, Sixth Meeting of States Parties, Zagreb, 30 November 2005.
[43] Article 7 Report, Submission under Article 7, 8 May 2006.
[44] Danish Coastal Authority, “Traffic on the southern part of Skallingen is prohibited.”
[45] Telephone interview with Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 22 March 2006.
[46] Danish Coastal Authority, “Traffic on the southern part of Skallingen is prohibited.”
[47] Danish Coastal Authority, “Prequalification Notice for Mine Clearance, Skallingen, Denmark.”
[48] Danish Coastal Authority, “Minerydningen sendt i udbud: Der ryddes tre områder strand i år,” www.kyst.dk, accessed 19 April 2006.
[49] Danish Coastal Authority “Minerydning på Skallingen: Kontrakt indgået med entreprenør,” www.kyst.dk, accessed 18 May 2006.
[50] Danish Coastal Authority “Minerydning på Skallingen: Kontrakt indgået med entreprenør;” Danish Coastal Authority, “Prequalification Notice for Mine Clearance, Skallingen, Denmark.”
[51] Telephone interview with Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, Copenhagen, 22 March 2006.
[52] “Prequalification Notice for Mine Clearance, Skallingen, Denmark,” announcement in Danish newspapers, 14 March 2006.
[53] Email from Bo Bischoff, Danish Coastal Authority, 22 June 2006.
[54] Danish Navy, “Søværnets Minørtjeneste gør klar til rydning af Skallingen,” “Minørerne klar til at gå i vandet ved Skallingen,” www.forsvaret.dk, accessed 6 June 2006; email from Lars Møller, Danish Naval EOD Service, 10 June 2006.
[55] This amount excludes research and development contributions. Average exchange rate for 2005: US$1 = DKK 5.9953, used throughout this report. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2006.
[56] See Landmine Monitor Report 2005, p. 72. Average exchange rate for 2004: US$1 = DKK5.989. US Federal Reserve, “List of Exchange Rates (Annual),” 3 January 2005.
[57] Mine Action Investments database, www.mineactioninvestments.org; email from Rita Helmich-Olesen, Humanitarian Assistance and NGO Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 31 March 2006.
[58] See Landmine Monitor Report 2004, p. 391; email from John Kierulf, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 15 March 2004.
[59] Email from Hanne B. Elmelund Gam, Humanitarian Assistance and NGO Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 20 June 2006.
[60] Mine Action Investments database; email from Rita Helmich-Olesen, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 31 March 2006.