Terry Long of Sydney, N.S. presented resolution to the UN

CBC News Posted: Nov 22, 2013 1:28 PM AT Last Updated: Nov 22, 2013 1:28 PM AT

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/hazardous-waste-treatment-urged-for-underwater-munitions-1.2436682

It’s estimated the site of the S.S. City of Vienna off Sambro Island has up to 10,000 munitions (CBC)

A Nova Scotia expert on underwater munitions is calling on the United Nations to treat the weapons as hazardous chemical waste.

Terry Long, chair of the International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions, returned to Sydney this week after presenting his resolution to the UN.

He said labelling underwater munitions as hazardous chemical waste would help agencies determine what should be done with them.

Unused munitions have been dumped in oceans around the world. Decades of ships dumping unexploded military devices have resulted in 3,000 dump sites off the coast of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia alone.

“Ones off of Cape Breton for an example in 4VN, which is one of our rich fishing zones, you are looking at a documented  minimum of 80,000 tonnes of munitions. A lot of these munitions are carcinogens and they do have an impact on the fish and in return if we eat these fish, we also will have an impact from them,” said Long, who spent 16 years as a military engineer with the Canadian forces working in bomb disposal.

Fish off of Sydney have not been tested, but Long says research in the Baltic Sea found tumours on some fish.

Long said a study in the Bedford Basin found chemicals in a lobster fishing area three metres away from munitions.

A final vote on the United Nations resolution will take place in a few weeks.

Terry Long is an expert on the disposal of explosive devices lying on the sea bed.

Around Sydney Harbour he says there could be as many as six-thousand dump sites that we need to consider before running cable between Newfoundland and Nova Scotia.

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http://www.cbc.ca/mainstreetcb/blog/2013/06/18/underwater-munitions-dumps/

By GORDON DELANEY Staff Reporter
Published May 27, 2013 – 8:06am
Last Updated May 27, 2013 – 8:11am

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/1131549-q-a-with-munitions-expert-terry-long

Unexploded ordinance, disabled or non-live bombs are flagged for disposal in the live impact area of the former US Naval Training Range, on Vieques Island, off Puerto Rico in 2007. (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Terry Long of Sydney is a former military engineer and explosive ordnance disposal expert with more than 30 year experience.

Since leaving the military, Long, has worked at clearing munitions from land and underwater sites. In 2004, he formed the International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions, a non-governmental organization that provides a platform for industry, politicians and stakeholders to explore and address the issue.

He spoke on the issue in a recent interview from The Hague. (His answers have been edited for length.)

For a number of years, we’ve had the Chemical Weapons Convention, but sea-dump munitions have never been part of it. Recently, we hosted an event in co-operation with Lithuania and Poland where we were able to discuss sea-dump munitions with people from around the world. Some delegations from different countries were not even aware that they had munitions in the oceans, like Iceland, Australia and New Zealand and India. We were able to get a piece put into the Chemical Weapons Convention, and we now have a working document. We have a voluntary form of co-operation to look at cleaning up the munitions. There has been consensus that it’s time to reduce the negative impact on our oceans.

Q: How important is that?

A: This is a landmark decision by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. Nobody thought we were going to get anywhere. Instead of one line, we got a three-page working document and a complete paragraph, which is a lot.

Q: What does it mean for Nova Scotia?

A: By doing so, we can create an economic stimulus for the transfer of technologies and skills to other countries. We could have European countries working with Canadian and U.S. companies cleaning this stuff up. There are more than 3,000 sites off the coasts of Nova Scotia where First and Second World War munitions were dumped. There would be multiple opportunities for Nova Scotians. All the equipment I use is very high-tech. It’s a perfect thing for today’s generation to work with.

Q: What does it mean for you personally?

A: It means an international opportunity where I can take young people and develop high-tech skills and travel to other parts of the world to detect, map and clean up munitions. I have my own autonomous underwater vehicle … which has a (side-scan sonar), one of the most sophisticated scanners you can get today. We can take photos beneath the ocean and under the seabed to create 3-D images of where munitions are and how to address cleaning them up.

Q: What’s the next step?

A: To have another event on technology in The Hague in July with 190 states. We’ll sit down and start looking at some of the things that need to be done. A lot of what we’re doing now is collecting information and preparing to report to the secretary general of the United Nations in December. I will be identifying the concerns and how we address this collectively. Some of the things we need are policy standards and procedures and an international trust fund for cleanup. Everybody wants to move forward. Even the Americans and Russians are on board.

MARY ELLEN MacINTYRE STAFF REPORTER
Published April 22, 2014 – 8:03pm
Last Updated April 23, 2014 – 7:31am

http://thechronicleherald.ca/metro/1202433-undersea-danger-drives-munitions-activist

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Long targets munitions, chemical weapons

Terry Long, shown in February on the Bedford Basin, says he’s passionate about creating awareness of the dangers associated with underwater munitions and chemical weapons. (TIM KROCHAK / Staff)

Just prior to next month’s fifth International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions conference at Saint Mary’s University, Terry Long has something else to do.

“I am one of the directors of NATO’s Science for Peace and Security program and we’ll be meeting to discuss a number of topics for a couple of days just before the conference gets underway,” said Long, a former Canadian military engineer and chairman of the international event.

While that might all sound impressive, Long, who was born and raised in Sydney, says it’s all part of his plan to help create awareness of the dangers associated with underwater munitions and chemical weapons.

“I am passionate about this subject,” he said in an interview Tuesday.

“We’ll have an open house for people from companies and students to come and see the kinds of technology being used and developed to rid our oceans, rivers and lakes of munitions and chemicals around the world.”

Long said he expects about 150 people to attend the conference.

“There will be delegates from about 40 countries, people from government, industry, military — these are international stakeholders,” he said.

Delegates from NATO, the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, the oil and gas industry and environmental protection agencies are among those coming.

Since his retirement from the military 10 years ago, Long has devoted himself to this work.

“There are concerns for human health and the health of fish stocks because underwater chemical weapons have been dumped into oceans, rivers and lakes and are constantly releasing chemicals,” he said.

“Chemicals released into the water create stress, liver deformities among the fish stocks and if you don’t clean them up, the fish stocks are gravely affected.”

Underwater munitions pose threats to drilling rigs and underwater exploration, he said.

“Collectively, there are things we can do about this and there are technologies out there in use now and under development,” Long added.

The conference runs May 28-29, with an international economic summit on marine, environment and defence industries to be held May 30.

Long said he hopes local companies will take advantage of the conference to learn how they can become a part of a global solution.

“There are opportunities for Nova Scotia companies in this industry,” he said. “This is a call to action through technology on an international scale.”

The conference presents an opportunity for industries and technologies of all kinds, Long said.

“We’ll have demonstrations of technology at the Canadian Forces Fleet Diving Unit at Shearwater using unmanned vehicles,” he said.

One of the demonstrations will include the U.S. navy’s marine mammal team from San Diego.

“They’ll bring two large dolphins to demonstrate munitions retrieval.”

CBC News Posted: Apr 09, 2013 2:15 PM AT Last Updated: Apr 09, 2013 4:35 PM AT

A man from Cape Breton will chair an international discussion in The Hague, Netherlands, about the problem of underwater chemical weapon dump sites.

Terrance Long spent 16 years as a military engineer with the Canadian forces working in bomb disposal.

Long believes governments around the world need to face the fact there are thousands of chemical weapon dumps in the oceans and even in some lakes.

He said there’s a growing awareness in Europe, but Canada still hasn’t come to grips with the reality.

“It’s hard to explain why, but a lot of people, you know, if they can’t actually see the munitions they don’t think they’re there,” he said.

“Up until the 1970’s, ships would actually leave the United States, Canada, the U.K. and many other countries and basically dump munitions into the ocean. This same process took place all across Europe in most of the lakes after the second World War by dumping the munitions into the lakes, into the Black Sea, the Baltic Sea.”

Long said the number of weapons disposed of this way are staggering.

Decades of ships dumping unexploded military devices have resulted in 3,000 dump sites off the coast of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia alone.

Some of the sites are closer than many would expect.

“There’s one site that’s right in Sydney Bight. I believe it’s 12 miles out. That’s a major site. And that contains a lot of conventional munitions which are carcinogens,” said Long.

Long talks about an array of explosive devices such as mines, various types of bombs, and mustard gas which threaten the fishery and the environment in general.

He argues economies everywhere could be stimulated by launching a clean up of these dump sites.

Long said Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation would be well advised to invest in a clean up project to create badly-needed long term jobs.

http://www.chemsea.eu/news,sea-dumped-chemical-weapons-side-event-at-cwc-conference,35.html

Sea dumped chemical weapons side event at CWC Conference

You are invited to participate in a Sea Dumped Chemical Weapons Side Event during the 3rd Review Conference of the State Parties of the Chemical Weapons Convention (CWC) to be held in The Hague on April 10, 2013.

FROM THE INTERNATIONAL DIALOGUE ON UNDERWATER MUNITIONS:

After several years of effort by many dedicated people and organizations we find ourselves working together as an international family to develop responses to Sea Dumped Chemical Weapons (SDW’s) on global bases.  Our focus has moved from one of science to the “need to clean”.   After a number of scientific studies identifying links between munitions constituents and human health and environment there are a number of organizations and countries willing to work together on a voluntary platform of cooperation to clean up SDW’s in our waters.

As many may recall Closing Remarks from the Fourth (IV) International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions (IDUM) in San Juan when Co-Chairman, Dr. Andrzej Jagusiewicz, Chief Inspector of Environment Protection, Poland announced that IDUM would pursue the eradication of SDW’s in our waters to the OPCW, in The Hague.  With this in mind there is a Side Event at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) www.opcw.org in The Hague, 10 April, 2013, with light lunch & coffee followed by Bilateral Meetings for Private Sector and Stake Holders including Governments Representatives, and an evening reception with bar (wine) and food for delegates.

Your participation is required to determine how best to address Underwater Munitions Response Programs (UMRP) in the future as an international family of experts on a global base.  We want to hear about your experiences and technologies.   A poor showing from the Private Sector could result in the perception that SDW’s are not important on a global or regional scale.  A strong showing would indicate the significant of SDW’s and willingness for people and organizations to work together for common solutions on a voluntary platform of cooperation.  At the event we hope the Private Sector will developed synergies for the transfer of skills and technology with smaller regionalized organizations via joint ventures, partners or team agreements.

We are most thankful to our past sponsors from the Private Sector whom made it possible for IDUM to come this far.  We need your continued support to fund a successful Side Event in The Hague and Nova Scotia to clean-up SDW’s. Those whom wish to Sponsor the Event/s are most welcomed and should email: tplong@eastlink.ca.

Space is limited; we strongly encourage everyone whom wishes to attend to preregister at: registration@underwatermunitions.org for the Side Event. We will try to accommodate everyone for space at both events including those whom would like a display table/booth.  We will select delegates based on a first-come-first -served and from experts for underwater programs for archeological, historical research, detection, mapping, handling, recovery, monitoring, and disposal.

This is your opportunity to work with like-minded people, organizations and governments to develop effective responses to clean-up SDW’s. IDUM will establish an International Technology Advisory Board (ITAB) on Sea Dumped Weapons during our Bilateral Meetings in The Hague following the Side Event.

We value your contribution in these important Side Events in Holland and Canada to address SDW’s on a global scale.  Without your support these events would not be possible or a voluntary platform of cooperation.  Thank you in advance for your consideration.

Click here for a draft agenda.

Sincerely,

Terrance. P. Long CPSM. SSM. CD.

Chairman, IDUM

www.underwatermunitions.org

 

By MARY ELLEN MacINTYRE Cape Breton Bureau
Published February 20, 2013 – 8:34pm
Last Updated February 20, 2013 – 8:39pm

http://thechronicleherald.ca/novascotia/736823-expert-has-hope-for-action-on-dumped-munitions-issue

Ex-military engineer: People realizing risks

SYDNEY — Terry Long is a worried man and he’s been worried for a number of years.

But for the first time the former military engineer believes the day is coming when his fears about dumped munitions might be addressed.

“Everywhere around the world, people are starting to realize that munitions are a major human health risk and have an environmental impact,” Long said Wednesday during an interview at his Sydport Industrial Park office.

Long has worked clearing munitions from land and underwater sites since leaving the military in 1989.

In 2004, he formed the International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions, a non-governmental organization that provides a platform for industry, politicians and stakeholders to explore and address the issue.

It’s an issue that hits close to home, Long said.

“We have more than 3,000 sites off Nova Scotia and that’s probably only about half of them,” he said.

Most are filled with munitions from the First and Second World Wars, but the practice of dumping excess munitions into the sea occurred right up to the 1970s, Long said.

“If you … walk along the Bedford Basin, you can see all the munitions in the water when the tide goes out,” he said. “You can look on the side of the ammunition compound and you can see the erosion and munitions falling off the side of the bank.

“Then you look in the water and see the lobster boats come in and catch lobster.”

He said he honestly believes “the ocean is dying” from the chemicals in munitions that have been dumped in them.

“I really want to make people aware of the dangers and the issues that are affecting our oceans.”

Cleaning up the munition sites would help preserve fish stocks “because if we continue the way we’re going there won’t be any fish left,” Long said.

Around the world, industries working on and under the seas, such as those that build underwater pipelines, are encountering more of these underwater munition dump sites and it is costing them money, he said.

As an example, Long pointed to a pipeline recently installed in the Baltic Sea.

“It was to be 1,100 kilometres long, but they had to put in another 700 kilometres, at a cost of $5 billion, just to avoid munitions,” he said.

Long also operates Wentworth Environmental Inc., a company that identifies the scope of an underwater or land-based munitions problem, maps it and then cleans it up.

While his focus is currently on advocacy, he admits his company could benefit from it as well.

“Some day, when they start cleaning (the sites) up, then maybe my company will be out there with the rest of them” helping to clean them up, he said.

His company’s most recent acquisition is an autonomous underwater vehicle, which he is shipping to Holland where it will be used to hunt for munitions in that country’s rivers and lakes.

Long is also a co-director of ChemSea, an organization that is conducting a search for and an assessment of munition dump sites in the Baltic Sea. The organization includes eight countries that border on the sea.

He is also the special invited guest of Helsinki Commission’s ad hoc working group for chemical munitions.

In April, he will chair an international dialogue on underwater munitions at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons conference in the Hague.

For more information on the issue visit Long’s website at: www.underwatermunitions.org.

(mmacintyre@herald.ca)