There are few industries where robots are as necessary as in the field of mine removal, where the dangers are too great for actual humans to get involved. In preparation for the construction of one of the largest underwater pipelines in human history — which will run 759 miles under the Baltic Sea — robots are exactly what will be needed.
With the laying of the new pipe expected to begin this April, a British company is already at work planning the deployment of those autonomous devices.
Russia supplies Western Europe with the major share of its natural gas, primarily used for heating buildings. In order to improve the delivery of the gas, Russian conglomerate Gazprom is leading a consortium of companies in building Nord Stream, a dual-pipe gas corridor that will be able to transport 55 billion cubic meters of gas per year — enough to supply 26 million homes with fuel.
If all goes as planned, the line could be open and running by 2012.
But the Baltic Sea route between Vyborg, Russia and Greifswald Germany, which passes through the territorial waters of Finland, Sweden, and Denmark, is littered with the detritus of World War II — including dangerous explosives that must be cleared before any pipe can be laid. A Finnish government agency approved the €7.4 billion line’s construction last week, but first the water must be made safe enough to work in.
Which is where the robots come in: Bactec International, which works to remove mines in conflict-plagued areas like the Falklands, estimates that there are 150,000 unexploded bombs sitting on the floor of the Baltic Sea, left there by the Russian and German armies in the 1940s. Clearing them all will constitute the biggest commercial mine-clearance project ever. About 70 of these mines, each filled with 300 kg of explosive charge, sit in the pipeline’s path, mostly in its northern section just south of Finland. Once each mine is identified, Bactec will begin a two-day robot operation to ensure the mine’s safe disposal.
Here’s how it will work: A research ship deploys the robot to the seabed, where it identifies the exact location of the explosive. After sounding a warning to surrounding ship traffic, scaring fish away using a small explosive, and then emitting a “seal screamer” of high intensity noises designed to make the area around the blast quite uncomfortable for marine mammals, Bactec’s engineers erupt a 5 kg blast, forcing the mine to detonate. This process ensures the safety of humans plus any animals living in the surrounding environment.
The operation concludes with the robot being redeployed to clear up the scrap of the now-destroyed bomb.
Despite all the precautions, the Nord Stream project has not been without controversy. Surrounding countries have pushed for overland alternatives, arguing that the Baltic Sea is already quite polluted; exploding the bombs using remotely-activated robots won’t help matters much.
But Gazprom and the Russian government (which controls the gas company) have actively worked to diminish those fears. At a conference last week, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed a pact with heads of state of other countries bordering the Baltic Sea, pledging to help clear up the 40,000 tons of chemical weapons and dozens of sunken ships still in the body of water. Perhaps Bactec will have to return and bring back the robots!
Graphic courtesy Nord Stream
February 16th, 2010 at 9:36 pm
[...] War II. In order to allow the $10 billion USD project to continue, Bactec International has been hired to build an underwater robot to find and detonate the unexploded ordinances that lie in the path of the [...]
February 17th, 2010 at 12:34 am
Don’t forget that this is also controversial as it would allow Russia to cut off gas exports to Ukraine and other neighboring countries without hurting the Western European market. This would make it much easier for Moscow to discourage activities it does not like in it’s “Near Abroad”
February 17th, 2010 at 11:51 am
[...] [Via The Infrastructurist] [...]
February 17th, 2010 at 1:48 pm
“The operation concludes with the robot being redeployed to clear up the scrap of the now-destroyed bomb.”
Yeah…..riiiiight.
February 17th, 2010 at 4:53 pm
[...] In a dangerous legacy of the world’s deadliest conflict, 150,000 World War Two-era sea mines litter the Baltic Sea. The danger these bombs pose to a proposed gas pipeline has prompted Russia to hire the British firm Bactec International to clear the sea of unexploded ordnance. And for Bactec, that means it’s time to bring out the robots. [...]
February 17th, 2010 at 9:02 pm
[...] A group of Russian companies is attempting to construct a 759-mile underwater Baltic Sea pipeline in order to distribute natural gas to Europe, but construction has been hampered by submerged mines and bombs that still remain from WWII. A British company is addressing the explosive problem by dispatching underwater robots that can safely detonate the bombs and then clean up the resulting debris. [From: Infrastructurist] [...]
February 17th, 2010 at 9:16 pm
[...] In a dangerous legacy of the world’s deadliest conflict, 150,000 World War Two-era sea mines litter the Baltic Sea. The danger these bombs pose to a proposed gas pipeline has prompted Russia to hire the British firm Bactec International to clear the sea of unexploded ordnance. And for Bactec, that means it’s time to bring out the robots. [...]
February 27th, 2010 at 5:44 pm
Having had the pleasure a few years back in 2000 I was employed as the senior EOD tech on a project in the Philippines off Batangus on the Malapaya pipeline I was tasked to destroy 52 WWII bombs on the seabed at a depth of 480 metres of sea water. On a good day we managed to destroy in situ a total of 5 targets. (This was also using ROV’s) Looking back I believe we destroyed all 52 bombs in a little over 15 days but the actual task was just over 5months this included searching identifying going over the area many times using the ROV to confirm that all targets had been destroyed,and that there were no other items of ordnance on the seabed. So this project is not a first for any company or the deepest as I know having first hand knowledge and being on the first Deepsea EOD clearance. I would like to add one more point why pick up the scrap thats if you can find it all after the device as been destroyed. This is not an aircraft BLACK BOX
Yours Aye Harry Cripps
March 1st, 2010 at 4:33 am
[...] a massive natural gas pipeline that will run across the Baltic Sea floor. But first, they must clear some of the 150,000 unexploded bombs sitting at the bottom of the sea, left there by the Russian and German armies in the 1940s. About [...]
March 7th, 2010 at 8:03 am
[...] War II. In order to allow the $10 billion USD project to continue, Bactec International has been hired to build an underwater robot to find and detonate the unexploded ordinances that lie in the path of the pipeline. The robot, which will help perform the biggest commercial [...]
March 22nd, 2010 at 6:04 am
[...] In a dangerous legacy of the world’s deadliest conflict, 150,000 World War Two-era sea mines litter the Baltic Sea. The danger these bombs pose to a proposed gas pipeline has prompted Russia to hire the British firm Bactec International to clear the sea of unexploded ordnance. And for Bactec, that means it’s time to bring out the robots. [...]