Denmark Shipping Strait Shut Due to Missile Mishap

Denmark's military has revealed that failure on a navy ship has spurred the closure of airspace and shipping lanes close to a major shipping strait off the Danish coast.

A warning was issued for vessels to avoid part of the Great Belt strait due to a risk of "falling missile fragments" by the National Maritime Authority.

As a result, ships have been asked to drop anchor if necessary, although the Danish media reported that the zone that has been closed off could reopen on Thursday evening.

In a statement, the Danish military said the problem with the missile occurred "during a mandatory test where the missile launcher is activated and cannot be deactivated".

"Until the missile launcher is deactivated, there is a risk that the missile can fire and fly a few kilometres away," the military added.

The missile was launched from the Niels Juel frigate, which has been part of Nato's standing naval force since 2023.

The warning covered an area south-west of the town of Korsor, some 4km (2.5 miles) south of the Great Belt bridge, which crosses the strait.

The bridge remained open to traffic, its operator said.

The defense ministry stated that the missile, carrying 150kg of explosives, was unarmed and posed no threat of detonation upon crashing into the sea.

The incident occurred in the Great Belt strait, marking the end of a challenging week for the Danish navy.

Earlier in the week, General Flemming Lentfer was dismissed from his position as chief of defense for his failure to report a malfunctioning weapons system aboard the Danish frigate, the Iver Huitfeldt, in the Red Sea.

Denmark's defense minister, Troels Lund Poulsen, cited a loss of trust in Lentfer, who neglected to notify the defense ministry about the frigate's radar and missile systems malfunctioning during an encounter with a drone operated by Houthi militants.

The Iver Huitfeldt was deployed to protect commercial sea traffic from Houthi attacks in solidarity with Palestinians following Israel's offensive in Gaza.

Fortunately, neither the crew nor the ship suffered any harm during the deployment.