SPONSORS OF UNEXPLODED ORDNANCE
THE LEGACY OF CONFLICT
Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) is encountered on a relatively frequent basis by companies involved in the construction or maintenance of offshore wind farms and other energy sectors.
POTENTIAL RISK
The fact that there is a potential risk of UXO on these sites around the UK should not come as a surprise. The National Archive suggests that in excess of 60,000 munitions remain unaccounted for in the North Sea alone.
Other reports suggest that 1 in 10 of bombs dropped on the UK and its surrounding waters failed to detonate.
FACING REALITY On the day all of this becomes relevant to your project due to a UXO discovery the question is what to do next? When the project manager of a large wind farm construction project on the East coast had such a scenario he was initially unsure.
PERHAPS THE MILITARY WOULD HELP?
Unfortunately, they no longer provide a guarantee of support to commercial operations and do not undertake any work outside the 12 mile limit. Unless there is an immediate threat to life, a military response is extremely unlikely. Within 24hrs of being told this, the project manager called Ramora UK.
RAMORA UK Since 2004, Ramora UK has been working with the oil and gas sector to fill the gap left by the Ministry of Defence and also provide some technology based solutions to this complex problem.
CASE STUDY – UXO DISCOVERY Following a short telephone conversation, the Ramora UK Senior Explosives Officer was invited to an emergency meeting in Harwich. Less than six hours later, the meeting was underway and despite the aim being to gain an understanding of the options available, the outcome was an immediate mobilisation of the full Remote Explosive Ordnance Disposal System (REODS).
EQUIPMENT
With all the equipment, including explosives, embarked as a standard protocol, the team had everything necessary to undertake the safe disposal of the munition with minimal fuss.
THE LEGACY OF BRITAIN’S INVOLVEMENT IN CONFLICT CONTINUES TO HAVE AN IMPACT ON COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES TO THIS DAY
MOBILISATION Less than 36 hours after this initial meeting the full REODS system had been mobilised with vessel, Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) team and ROV to undertake an initial assessment of the UXO.
SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE Utilising the skills and experience of former Royal Navy Clearance Divers, under the direction of a Mine Warfare and Clearance Diving Officer, the team are well versed in such operations and quickly determined the type of UXO and the disposal methodology.
34
www.windenergynetwork.co.uk
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108