A partnership formed by companies under Poland's Remontowa Holding Group and Swedish environmental engineering specialist Dynasafe Demil Systems have begun concept design work on a specialised vessel that will be used to remove unexploded ordnance (UXO) and other hazardous waste from the bottom of the Baltic Sea.
The barge will be used to help rid the Baltic Sea of unexploded ammunition containing chemical warheads, some of which are believed to date back to World War I. Officials said the ordnance will run the risk of washing ashore on the Polish coast if not removed from the seabed.
The barge will be equipped to dispose of non-chemical ordnance as well.
Once completed, the vessel will have a length of 105 metres, a beam of 24 metres, space for 40 crewmembers, and the ability to remove up to 1,250 kilograms of ordnance from the seabed every day.
Remontowa Holding Group companies Remontowa Shipbuilding and Remontowa Marine Design and Consulting will partner with Dynasafe on the design and construction of the barge.