Anish Vij
Londoners could be in serious danger as experts are calling for urgent action over a 'doomsday wreck' carrying 1,400 tonnes of explosives.
The SS Richard Montgomery was a World War II ship used by the US for carrying cargo of munitions back in the day.
On route to Cherbourg, France, the vessel broke in half and has been sunk in the River Thames Estuary since August 1944.
The Montgomery remains located around 1.5 miles from the town of Sheerness and five miles from Southend.
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Experts have known about the explosives for years, however, there are growing concerns that the ship is decaying faster than we thought.
This further increases the chances of it blowing up, which could trigger a tsunami on the capital.
Professor David Alexander of University College London (UCL), who conducted a study on the wreck, said that simply removing the masts is not enough.
He explained: "I don't think that's going to solve the problem.
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"Probably the biggest risk is shipping runs into it.
"The exclusion zone is 200 metres from a major shipping lane through which large container ships pass and, much more seriously, liquefied natural gas ships.
"These are five stories high, and contain enormous tanks of liquefied natural gas."
Professor Alexander also told the BBC: "A top event is all of that goes up and there's an almighty blast... and a huge column of water and debris and stuff.
"And we still have analogues of that from around the world where that has happened in the past, so it's not a totally unforeseen event."
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This comes after a survey from 2023 warned that at 'the deck space near hold three (check image above) appears to have started to collapse on the port side. This appears to be recent'.
Basically, the 'whole forward section of the wreck appears to have an increase in lean' of 10 to 15cm.
Meanwhile, the Department for Transport has said in the past that it wants to 'ensure the safety of the public and reduce any risk posed by the SS Richard Montgomery'.
It added: "Experts have carried out vital surveying work to the wreckage and, based on their findings, we are revising our initial timeframe for removing the masts in the safest manner possible."
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Rich Lehmann, a chair of the environment committee at Swale Borough Council, explained: "The deterioration of the wreck is concerning, and the council are monitoring the situation closely.
"Officers are in dialogue with the Department for Transport, who manage the wreck, and other relevant agencies to ensure that all necessary precautions are in place to mitigate any potential risks.
"The safety of our community and the protection of our marine environment remain our top priorities."