Marco Gilissen on unexploded ordnance risk mitigation

Munitions dumped into the ocean after conflicts such as WW1 and WW2, and activities such as offensive and defensive mining, have resulted in approximately 1.3 million tonnes of unexploded ordnance (UXO) spread across the world’s seas. In this SUT podcast, Marco discusses the global and ongoing risks associated with UXO and dumped munitions in the marine environment, and the key challenges faced by the industry. Increasing numbers of marine developments and interactions with marine environments, such as the construction of offshore wind farms, are uncovering threats that need to be mitigated for safe offshore development and protection of our shorelines. Marco also reveals the key steps for reducing false positives and achieving industry ALARP certification to mitigate UXO risk and ensure safe marine developments. Happily, the offshore industry’s continuous R&D and commitment to optimise UXO tools and methodologies, including the deployment of more remote and autonomous operations to derisk the seabed, are contributing to ever safer and more efficient UXO risk mitigation.

The Underwater Technology Podcast is produced by the Society for Underwater Technology (SUT).

Learn more about Fugro's UXO risk mitigation solution here