In a statement sent to Rigzone recently, UK-based Venterra Group plc highlighted “the essential role of unexploded ordnance (UXO) mitigation in the rapidly expanding offshore wind industry”.
Venterra, which describes itself as a dedicated offshore wind services platform, described the “scale of UXO risks offshore” as “daunting” in the statement, adding that “an estimated 500,000 items, equating to 100,000 tons of UXO, lie on the seabed surrounding Great Britain alone”.
“For the offshore wind sector, these hidden dangers present significant challenges that could disrupt surveying operations, cause costly delays, damage equipment, and threaten the life and safety of those operating offshore,” Venterra said in the statement, which highlighted the company’s “proprietary database – The Vault 2.0”.
This tool represents a multimillion-pound investment in UXO data collation, according to Venterra, which said in the statement that it contains thousands of primary historical sources, including mine maps from both World Wars, ship logs, handwritten air raid reports, and bespoke UXO desktop studies.
“These resources have been painstakingly gathered by Venterra’s dedicated team of UXO data archivists and military historians, who continuously seek new information from national and local archives, libraries, armed forces, and museums worldwide,” the company highlighted in the statement.
In the release, Richard Pike, Director of Venterra Geoscience, said, “our dedicated UXO team, comprising former military specialists with decades of experience, provides critical advisory services to many of the largest offshore wind projects around the globe”.
“From site assessments and geophysical surveys to meticulous cable route planning, we ensure safety and efficiency by reducing UXO risks to As Low As Reasonably Practicable (ALARP) levels,” he added.
When Rigzone asked RenewableUK – which describes itself as the established, influential voice of the UK’s renewable energy industry – for comment on Venterra’s statement, a RenewableUK spokesperson highlighted to Rigzone that UXO “is an issue recognized by the UK government”.
“A marine license is required for offshore wind activity, as well as for UXO clearance, and may be required for investigative surveys to confirm the presence of UXOs,” the spokesperson said.
“Earlier this year, Defra (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) confirmed the introduction of new measures to reduce harmful levels of underwater noise and support protected species during the clearance of UXO,” the spokesperson added.
“The package of measures is part of the government’s Plan for Change and sets out the expectation that operators use low-noise disposal methods to clear unexploded ordnance during the construction and installation of offshore wind turbines, with high-order detonations considered a last resort and applicable only in ‘extraordinary circumstances’,” the spokesperson went on to state.
“As of January 2025, offshore developers are furthermore required to demonstrate they have made clear efforts to reduce underwater noise during installation, and Defra has set out how it is looking to manage impulse noise (such as from piling and UXO disposal) and continuous noise (such as from vessel movements) across all UK waters,” the RenewableUK spokesperson continued.
Rigzone has contacted Defra and the UK Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) for comment on Venterra and RenewableUK’s statements. At the time of writing, neither have responded to Rigzone.
A policy paper titled Marine environment: unexploded ordnance clearance joint position statement, which was posted on the UK government website on January 21, highlighted that, “after both World Wars, large numbers of explosives were left undetonated in the marine environment”.
“An increase in marine development is leading to the discovery of a great number of UXOs, which need to be cleared to protect human life and infrastructure,” the paper added.
“Low noise methods of clearance should be the default method used to clear any type of UXO in the marine environment,” it continued.
The paper highlighted that UK government departments, devolved governments, and associated bodies “collaborated to develop this joint position statement”. Defra and DESNZ were two of those UK government departments, the paper showed.
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