A new no-fly zone has been imposed over a shipwreck off the Kent coast.

Pilots have been banned from flying lower than 13,100ft above the wreck of the American munitions ship the SS Richard Montgomery, which sank off the coast of Sheerness during the Second World War along with her explosive cargo.

The new regulations do not apply to aircraft operated by the police, emergency medical service aircraft and the maritime and coastguard agency.

The Department for Transport (DfT) introduced the measure after experts advised that aviation be diverted from flying over the site.

A DfT spokesman said: “The condition of the wreck remains stable, and experts are continuing to monitor the site.

“As part of their ongoing monitoring, they have updated advice on how authorities can further minimise risk and recommended that pilots and operators do not fly in a limited area around and above the site as specified by the Civil Aviation Authority.”

The DfT would not be drawn on why the experts advised that the measures be brought in.

The restriction is in place until further notice.

It means it is now an offence to go into the zone, which has a radius of one nautical mile.

A similar ban had been put in place in August 2022 for the removal of 66 explosives, which lasted three months.

There is already an exclusion zone for maritime traffic around the ship.

The Montgomery, known locally as Monty, has been on the seabed filled with thousands of tonnes of ammunition for more than 80 years after sinking in August 1944. Its three masts, which protrude from the water, are set to be cut down to reduce strain on the ship’s deteriorating hull.

However, that project has been delayed three times in five years.

The procurement of a contractor to take on the work is expected later this year.

When the boat went to the bottom of the sea, it took with it 7,000 tonnes of ammunition. Roughly half were salvaged, but around 14,571 bombs remain in the shipwreck.

This has seen it labelled a “doomsday wreck” by national media outlets.s.

But whether the “top event” would happen is a long-standing debate – one which KentOnline asked a top expert about.

Read more: The truth behind the explosive-filled SS Richard Montgomery shipwreck

The boat was named after an American hero of the War of Independence against Britain who was killed while attacking British Quebec in 1775.