MAST EOD Supports New UK Marine Framework for Unexploded Ordnance Disposal

Maritime Asset Security and Training (MAST) Ltd is helping CIRIA (the Construction Industry Research and Information Association) to develop a Risk Management Framework for dealing with Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) in the near-shore and offshore environment, in support of maritime construction projects.

The guidance will target construction projects in the marine environment, such as energy infrastructure and wind farm developments, including UXO Risk Management for ports, harbours and existing offshore installations which have been subjected to historical bombing or ammunition dumping.

CIRIA is currently consulting marine industry partners and operators to determine the best possible compliance routes and capture best practice on dealing with UXO Risk Management.  CIRIA has hosted two seminars to date, with MAST leading the initiative, along with maritime industry experts, to scope out the design engineering issues and challenges facing geophysical survey, risk analysis and the level of threat that affects the risk mitigation design process.

Richard Battrick, the EOD Technical Director at MAST stated: “Between 600,000 and 1,000,000 naval mines of all types were laid during WW2 and a total of 48,000 aerial mines were delivered by the RAF alone in the European theatre.  Air delivered mines were not particularly well chartered and the residual risk from UK and German offensive and defensive mine-laying remains a significant issue even today.

“MAST is proud to have put forward the concept of developing the guidelines on best practice for the UXO Risk Management Framework and is especially delighted to help support CIRIA in the coordination of this document.”

Developments in coastal and off-shore locations have increased significantly over the past decade and having guidelines that provide and collate best practice and give a blueprint for developers dealing with UXOs in maritime developments is essential.

Whilst guidance exists for developments and construction projects on land, there is no such guidance for the near-shore and offshore community when dealing with explosive remnants of war. The inherent UXO risks facing the marine community also depends upon wartime and post-war activity in the region, however, ordnance at sea is affected by the environmental conditions such as tides, currents, sediment migration and marine growth.  The proposed guidelines will aim to improve safety and eliminate risk, or at least reduce it to a level that is as low as reasonably practicable (ALARP) within the scope of maritime developments.

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Press release, August 27, 2013; Image: MAST