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30 MTR January 2007 The world's oceans are littered with unexploded muni- tions, which are remnants of war, military test ranges, tri- als and dumping grounds, which lie intact on the sea bed, posing significant human and commercial risks. Discarded munitions - including conventional, nuclear, chemical and biological ordnance - were likely seen at the time as posing minimal risk to human development. But as undersea technologies have advanced rapidly - making the exploration and utilization of the seabed in increasingly deeper depths for commercial, military and scientific purposes - there has been a marked increase in the amount of explosive ordnance being discovered. One company who saw the need to address the matter before disaster strikes was international oil major Shell, which contracted Ramora UK to provide a comprehen- sive safety solution to maritime explosive ordnance dis- posal. The service provision provides a dedicated risk management capability to address Unexploded Ordnance (UXO) within the maritime environment, helping to enhance both the safety and commercial aspects of the client. Offshore organizations have experienced a number of Safely Managing Subsea Explosive Hazards By David Welch, Director, Ramora MTR#1 (17-32).qxd 1/11/2007 4:10 PM Page 30
