Explosive Ordnance Disposal

For a Future with Oceans Free of Pollution and Waste from Past Wars

As explosive remnants of war and military activity, dumped munitions and unexploded ordnances (UxO) endanger the environment, shipping, marine infrastructure and human safety around the world. Approximately 1.6 million tonnes of chemical and conventional ordnance lie in German coastal waters alone, exerting a negative impact on the environment, the ecosystem and the food chain. In order to contain this danger, it is urgently necessary to clear the contaminated sites and dispose of the ordnances.

With the concept of an innovative seagoing platform, thyssenkrupp Marine Systems has taken on this challenging task. After analysing and further evolving the existing technologies, we have developed an industrial solution for the salvage and disposal of chemical and conventional ordnance lying on the seabed of the North Sea and Baltic Sea.

The concept covers the entire process chain from detection to recovery and disposal and is designed for large-scale contaminated marine areas. To keep the risk to humans as low as possible during operation of the plant, we relied on modern robot-assisted and remote-controlled process handling, technologically developed within thyssenkrupp AG.

Detection, salvage and delaboration

thyssenkrupp Marine Systems and ATLAS ELEKTRONIK have made the technologies required for these tasks – for example autonomous underwater vehicles – available to civilian users. As a result, the detection of explosive ordnance lying on the seabed is safely possible and already in use.

So-called “multitools” can safely flush out explosive ordnance and efficiently recover them with dredgers in the nearshore or shallow zone. For greater water depths, the market provides a variety of remotely operated vehicles (ROVs).

Incineration systems for explosive ordnance are not suitable for large explosive ordnance. Thus, there is a need for safe delaboration – the disassembly of ordnance into disposable components – as a preparatory measure. For this purpose, remote-controlled guidance systems with multi-axis robotic arms as well as modern sawing technology or waterjet cutting systems are used.

This special platform was designed with special attention to military criteria for shock and fire safety. Particular emphasis was placed on the technical design of the four processing chambers, ensuring that the impact on the surrounding area is reduced to an acceptable level in the event of an accidental detonation.

Ready to be implemented

thyssenkrupp Marine Systems has decades of experience in the construction of complex sea-going units and unmanned systems designed for military use, and therefore also with the handling, storage and transport of munition. And we have the technical capabilities to implement a pilot project in the field of environmental technologies. Together with ATLAS ELEKTRONIK, the world market leader for naval mine countermeasures systems, and our highly specialized partners from the offshore supply industry, marine surveying and salvage diving, we combine all necessary competences.

In our view, only an industrial concept can lead to the efficient handling of the very large quantities of ordnance in the sea. What is more, we are convinced of the technical feasibility.

Together as an industry, we need the support of the federal and state governments for the realization of a pilot application.

Download (German): Kampfmittelräumung im Meer (PDF | 3 MB)

Download (English): Disposal of explosive ordnance (PDF | 2 MB)