Unexploded ordnance project completed at German offshore wind farm

James Fisher Subsea has completed a project to locate and dispose of unexploded ordnance (UXO) found in the Nordergründe offshore wind farm located eight nautical miles off the North Sea coast of Germany.

Bespoke UXO support vessels, ROVs, detonation specialists and target location were all used during the project.

Two vessels were deployed for the duration on the project, with specialist divers used to locate and remove the UXOs during the day and ROVs dispatched to detect and excavate through the night.

The team removed 72 objects including shells and grenades. The UXO had been released by Central Powers and Allied forces during WWI had delayed planned construction works and was at risk of costing the developer millions as a result.

Of the 224 targets identified, 72 were deemed to be UXO’s and were detonated with “minimal impact to sea life”, JF Subsea said.