Underwater searching for UXO (potential Unexploded Ordnance), or shipwrecks has been a part of our work for the last thirty years. We have gained extensive experience in searching for ammunition and mines through a long work history in the Baltic Sea, one of the most heavily mined waters in the world.

Methods used to detect munitions under water include multibeam bathymetry, side-scan sonar, magnetic methods and ROV inspection.

With the growing demands of basic infrastructure lying on the seabed, underwater mine search and clearance have become of current interest. The need to know if and where there are mines in an area of planned construction is important in order to make the installation work safe.

We conduct mapping assignments as part of infrastructure projects to ensure safe operations and preservation of existing archaeology. One example of this is the Nord Stream Project, for which we have conducted route surveys for a pipeline between Russia and Germany. Our contribution to the Nord Stream Project has included geophysical surveys, environmental surveys, build-up of an extensive GIS database, archaeological inspections, munitions search and clearance operations support.

(Pictures: Mines detected on the seabed by MMT from the Nord Stream Project)