"The family of IVER’s, Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV’s), has proven themselves be the Work Horse of the Sea for our underwater munitions surveys, sampling and science investigations."

Terrance P. Long,
Chair and CEO, International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions (IDUM),
The Hague, The Netherlands
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The International Technology Advisory Board Meeting (ITAB), 17 March 2016, The Hague

The International Technology Advisory Board (ITAB) on Sea-Dumped Weapons was established to serve as the focal point for the exchange of information, expertise, knowledge and know-how between different potential stakeholders, such as Governments, commissions, conventions, communities, organizations, scientific experts, and industry. The International Technology Advisory Board has replaced the International Scientific Advisory Board on Sea-Dumped Chemical Weapons as we have moved forward from a position of science and new knowledge, to one of action. The main mission of the Advisory Board is to provide platforms for networking, information-sharing, evaluation of emerging technologies suitable for underwater munitions clearance, and raising awareness on legacy of underwater munitions.

ITAB meeting

On 17 March 2016, in the IDUM head-office in The Hague, the ITAB committee held its next meeting. Many important issues have been reviewed during the brief but informative one-hour discussion. During the meeting, the members were updated about the current, ongoing, and the upcoming IDUM activities. Three ITAB members (later that number was confirmed to be five) are appearing on the panel for CW’s at the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia. It is an honor for our organization that three (later that number was confirmed to be five) members are filling the total of seven the expert panel. Later was confirmed that five out of seven experts were represented by the ITAB.

Five ITAB members were selected by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, Georgia to appear from 4 to 8 April 2016 to develop a new board for CDC: Experts Panel on Underwater Munitions (EPUM) that will write a report for the US, and it will included chemical and conventional munitions sites, and all underwater munitions sites outside of the US waters. The munitions will be cleaned-up in the future based on Human Health and Environment. The Chairperson of the IDUM, Mr. Terrance Long, is leading the report writing with CDC.

“The purpose of this panel is to assess the potential risk posed by ocean dumped munitions, particularly chemical munitions.  This panel is in conjunction with the U.S. Army’s plans and current programs for mitigation, prevention, and control of chemical agent hazards from this material.  This panel will provide individual recommendations and observations with regards to risk, proposed or current activities and programs, and identify any corrective actions or other mitigation measures based on each member’s expertise.”

Some ITAB members were present in person, and many of them could join the meeting through Skype, as the organization is proud to say that ITAB members are a diverse group of experts representing different areas of expertise represented by many countries and even continents.

The working of the ITAB committee is in continues progress.

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Offshore Industry Committee, OSPAR Commission

Offshore Industry Committee, OSPAR Commission, 15 March 2016, The Hague

OSPAR_1

OSPAR Commission – the current legislative instrument regulating international cooperation on environmental protection in the North-East Atlantic. It combines and updates the 1972 Oslo Convention on dumping waste at sea and the 1974 Paris Convention on land-based sources of marine pollution. Work carried out under the convention is managed by the OSPAR Commission, which is made up of representatives of the Governments of the 15 signatory nations, and representatives of the European Commission, representing the European Union.

On 15 March 2016, the International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions (IDUM) was an honorable participant of the Offshore Industry Committee organized by the OSPAR Commission in The Hague, The Netherlands.

OSPAR_3

Offshore Industry Commission has extensively discussed the following topics: the produced water, acute oil pollution, developments in the OSPAR Region Arctic waters, OSPAR Coordination Group, cooperation with international organizations, and many related issues.

During the meeting, the IDUM has played a role of an observer. It was the first meeting attended by the organization in cooperation with the OSPAR Commission. The IDUM has contributed to the valuable discussions of the Offshore Industry Committee where were discussed the issues of how to prevent and eliminate pollution and take the necessary measures to protect the OSPAR maritime area against the adverse effects of offshore oil and gas activities by setting environmental goals and improving management mechanisms, so as to safeguard human health and to conserve marine ecosystems and, when practicable, restore marine areas which have been adversely affected.

OSPAR_2

In this discussion, the issue of underwater munitions plays a critical role. The IDUM has indicated that “Chemical and conventional munitions impact our human health, and the environment from the waste they create, that is inorganic arsenic from mustard gas break-down products and DNT, a human carcinogen with a half-life of 1000’s of years that stays in our seas and oceans. All the warfare materials are spread across our seafloor, and chemical plumes drift in our oceans. Left unchecked, toxic plumes of carcinogens will migrate throughout our seas and oceans until they meet one another.” Therefore, signifying the importance of prominent underwater munitions cleanup.

The cooperation between the International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions and the OSPAR Commission is to be continued throughout the upcoming meetings.

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AAEAAQAAAAAAAAX_AAAAJDBjMWY4MDc5LTA0NzUtNGJkMy1hODMwLTU1MmVlZmU1MjFiNwWentworth Environmental Inc. (WEI) seeks three UXO Tech’s for Explosive Disposal of Unexploded Ordnance in Canada.  Must have qualifications for UXO disposal in Canada.  Please send your resume to tplong@eastlink.ca or info@wentworthenvironmental.com

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Chemical Weapons Destroy our Ocean and Seas and Can Easily Be Recovered For Reuse on the Public

AAEAAQAAAAAAAAcWAAAAJGE0N2QwODRlLWJiYTEtNGZiMS1iY2U3LWUwNzM4ZWI5YzRiMgOn a recent survey in the Baltic Sea off Poland I was searching for chemical weapons in 100 meters of water. We first deployed AUV’s to search for targets then send our ROV for a more detailed investigation.  What was very strange was that there was no life on the seabed and the water column for about 30 meters in depths.  All I could find was chemical weapons scatter along the seabed and shipwrecks with conventional and chemical weapons.  Its no longer uncommon to find dead zones and munitions in the same area.  In some cases the nitrates play a role by removing oxygen from the marine environment.  Left unchecked these weapons will destroy the seas and ocean.  Its just a matter of time before chemical releases from other regions meet one another.  The releases from chemical weapons attack juvenile fish ability to reproduce that in many cases is mistaken for over fishing.

Also of concern is how technology has developed over the last few years for the marine sector.  Today you can easily find information on the location of chemical weapons sites, some in shallow water with easy access for use as a Terror Weapons.  It shocked me the good state some of these weapons we found on the seabed.  In many anoxic zones the decay of the weapons has stopped because of the lack of oxygen, which allows for chemical weapon to be recovered in good shape and reused.  This was recently discuss at a Side Event at OPCW HQ hosted by the Lithuanian Embassy in The Hague and International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions (IDUM), however I do not think the State Parties took us seriously when we told them a well trained EOD specialist or ISS could recover and reuse chemical weapons with the right technology and money.

IDUM was hoping for support and leadership from the OPCW to MAP the sites at RISK and Prioritize them based on risk of reuse.  IDUM has a few meters of documents on global sea dumped weapons sites but hasn’t funds to put it in a database for use by approved stakeholders.  A database would allow the international community and organizations like the OPCW, Homeland Security, Marine and Coastal Agencies to monitor underwater weapons sites thereby reducing the risk of recovery and reuse.

Conventional underwater weapons have been recovered and reused in a terroir plot which leads one to believe its just a matter of time before chemical weapons are recovered for reuse against the Public.   The OPCW has demonstrated many times that they aren’t forward thinking people when it comes to underwater chemical weapons.  They openly state that when they run out of things to do than they may look at underwater chemical weapons in 2025.  NOT because they are a danger to you and me but when they run out of things to do.  IDUM an international NGO has continually demonstrate leadership when it come to addressing these weapons. These chemical weapons need to be under its own Treaty not the OPCW.  Lets ask Prime Minster Justin Trudeau to implement the Senate Hearings Findings of the Canadian Senate Standing Committee on Fishery for the Canadian Government to call  on the United Nations for a Conference on Sea Dumped Weapons.  Please email Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on LinkedIn and ask him to call on the UN for this Conference.

Thank you!

Terrance P. Long

Chair,

International dialogue on Underwater Munitions (IDUM)

www.underwatermunitions.org