Fincantieri and Comau Unveil First Mobile Robot for Shipyard Welding

Fincantieri plans to deploy the mobile welding robot to improve productivity in shipbuilding (file photo)

PUBLISHED JUN 28, 2023 5:18 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Fincantieri working in collaboration with Comau, a leader in automation solutions, unveiled the first mobile robotic solution to be used for outdoor welding in the company’s shipyards. Known as MR4Weld (Mobile Robot for Welding), the companies report the mobile robot is designed to improve quality, performance, and employee well-being during labor-intensive welding activities. The companies also renewed their collaboration begun in 2021 intending to expand their efforts toward other innovative applications and skills improvement for the shipbuilding operations.

The collaboration was launched seeking to apply technology, digitalization, and innovation within cutting-edge, mobile robotic solutions that will increase production speed and worker well-being, by automating traditionally manual processes. According to the companies, the MR4Weld mobile robot is part of a new paradigm in bringing automation beyond the factory floor.

The companies have completed the production of prototypes of the system and report it is currently undergoing testing. They intend to use the robot within Fincantieri shipyards to autonomously weld steel structures, reporting it could produce a possible three-fold increase in productivity compared to a manual process. Fincantieri and Comau have jointly filed a European patent application for specific MR4Weld technological features.

“MR4Weld is a project that meets multiple directions of our development: automation and digitization, two driving forces of our business plan as well as corporate responsibility,” said Pierroberto Folgiero, CEO of Fincantieri. He highlights its ability to address the UN’s sustainable development goals, as well as for safety and training.

 

Fincantieri and Comau displayed the prototype of their new mobile robotic welding system (Fincantieri)

 

They designed it with a high-payload capacity creating a six-axis articulated robot fitted with a welding torch that is installed on a tracked undercarriage and equipped with an integrated vision system to autonomously identify welding joints. Designed to be able to move in any environment and to collaborate with workers, MR4Weld can be managed by a single operator during the transfer and welding activities and since it is in complete compliance with current safety regulations, it can be used without fences on each of the multiple decks of a vessel under construction.

The systems permit it to produce better welding quality while reducing ergonomic risks. It also employs digital tools to collect welding and production data that can be used to record the welded joints. They believe it will help in the transformation of the shipbuilding production process by ensuring greater flexibility and improved safety in addition to lower overall costs.

As part of their renewed collaboration, the companies will continue to develop advanced and mobile robotics to automate other repetitive activities of the shipbuilding processes including those characterized by vertical and non-linear surfaces as well as unstructured environments. They also plan to test Comau’s exoskeletons to further improve the operators’ ergonomic conditions and well-being. They will also focus on training and improving the technical skills of Fincantieri’s operators.

In addition to applications for the robotic system in the shipyards, the companies will also seek opportunities for its use in other industries that require the production of large steel infrastructures.

 

Mediation Reaches Deal Preventing Norwegian Oil Workers' Strike

Transocean Spitsbergen was one of the rigs that might have been impacted by the strike (file photo)

PUBLISHED JUN 28, 2023 3:37 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Last minute efforts were underway led by Norwegian government mediators today to stave off a strike due to start at midnight impacting a dozen rigs and drilling vessels as well as some union members working on offshore platforms. Late today the three unions announced an agreement heading off the strike which was coming at the same time as the Norwegian government announced a major expansion of the industry.

Representatives of three Norwegian unions were summoned to negotiations today in Oslo with the mediators hoping to break an impasse over wages. The negotiations broke down on May 24 and on June 12 Industri Energi filed notice of its intent to strike. The union, which represents more than 4,000 oil sector workers, says the strike would involve 913 members working for subcontractors at 12 facilities and 16 companies. Among the major employers listed by the union to be included in the job action are Seadrill, Noble, Odfjell, and Saipen as well as Sodexo, a catering supplier at many of the sites.

“The rigging industry is doing well and we must have a wage settlement that ensures that this industry is competitive in the battle for labor. But the distance between the parties is too great for us to reach a settlement now,” said Frode Alfheim, confederation leader of Industri Energi, when the talks broke down.

Earlier this week, another union, Safe, filed notice under Norwegian’s labor laws to join the planned strike. The union, which also has members on drilling rigs and other installations, said 637 of its members would join the strike scheduled to start at midnight on June 29. A third smaller union, DFSO, had also given notice saying that 94 of its members would be joining the strike. In total, 1,644 members from the three unions are now scheduled to walk off their jobs tonight.

Under Norway’s labor laws, the unions are required to give at least four days’ notice before any form of job action. The three unions represent approximately 7,500 drilling and industry workers with Industri Energi warning that there is a potential for the strike to expand to other members if a settlement is not reached. Production workers, however, reached a tentative wage agreement last month with companies including Equinor and Conoco Philips. 

Terms of the agreement calls for a minimum of five to six percent wage increases for all workers effective as of June 1. In addition, they will receive an increase in the supplement for nighttime work as well as holiday pay.

Norway is one of Europe’s largest oil and natural gas suppliers and the only net exporter of oil and gas in Europe. This strike would have initially disrupted exploration and stat-up activities at new fields and potentially could have impacted expansion projects if the strike had persisted. 

While the negotiations were ongoing, the Norwegian government today also announced that it was approving 19 new oil and gas projects on the Norwegian continental shelf. The total investment was estimated at nearly $19 billion with the projects consisting of new developments, further development of existing fields, and investments to increase extraction at existing fields. Between 2020 and 2022, Norway changed tax regimes to encourage near-term investments in oil and gas.

"The implementation of these projects secures jobs, builds competence, and provides a basis for further technology development which will be decisive for the development in other industries such as carbon capture and storage, hydrogen, offshore wind, aquaculture, and minerals," said Norway’s Oil and Energy Minister Terje Aasland.

Norway is seeking to blunt criticism over the expansion of the fossil fuel industry by citing the importance to provide stability and ensure supply to Europe. They are saying these supplies would be online by the late 2020s meeting immediate needs while alternative fuels and transitions are developed.

 

Central Norway's Largest Burial Mound Probably Contains Ship's Grave

The find of these rivets suggests that Herlaugshaugen was a ship burial. Photo: Geir Grønnesby, NTNU University Museum

PUBLISHED JUL 2, 2023 8:50 PM BY GEMINI NEWS

 

[By Frid Kvalpskarmo Hansen]

In late June, archaeologists conducted what they thought would be a minor investigation of Herlaugshaugen, a burial mound on the island of Leka in north-central Norway.

Herlaugshaugen is mentioned in Snorre’s sagas as the final resting place of King Herlaug. He chose to be buried in this burial mound instead of submitting to Harald Fairhair.

The goal of the investigation was to date the burial mound more precisely and potentially determine whether the burial mound could have been a ship burial. The investigations were carried out by the Norwegian Directorate for Cultural Heritage in collaboration with the NTNU University Museum and the Trøndelag County Municipality.

Seated skeleton and sword

The burial mound has a diameter of over 60 metres and is one of the largest burial mounds in Norway. It was excavated three times during the late 18th century.

According to accounts, finds were made at that time, including a kind of wall, iron nails, a bronze kettle, animal bones, and a seated skeleton with a sword.

“Unfortunately, these finds disappeared in the early 1920s. The skeleton was displayed for a while at Trondheim Cathedral School as King Herlaug, but no one knows where it went,” said Geir Grønnesby, project leader for the investigations. “All the other finds are also gone. It is said that the bronze kettle was melted down to make shoe buckles,” he said.

It has long been debated whether Herlaugshaugen could contain a ship, since both nails and remnants of a wall were found in the 18th century. Ship burials typically include larger structures inside the mound, such as walls and timbered boxes. However, no one could say for certain.

Archaeologists are still not entirely sure, but let’s put it this way: It is very, very likely that Herlaugshaugen housed a ship burial—even though the ship itself has rotted away over the centuries. This year’s investigations revealed solid-sized nails.

“It is not possible to determine the exact size, but the size of the nails tells us that there was a ship,” Grønnesby said. "In this type of investigation, you can find everything and nothing, and I can assure you that we should have had a camera ready when the first nail was found: We were through the roof with excitement!” 

 

The archaeologists also found remnants of preserved wood, a layer containing charcoal and a horse’s tooth. Photo: Geir Grønnesby, NTNU University Museum (left)

He said that the team has uncovered a surprising amount from a small investigation. In addition to nails, the archaeologists found remnants of preserved wood, a layer of charcoal, and a horse’s tooth.

“This means that we have a good basis for dating the grave,” says Grønnesby. “The mound has been referred to as a Viking Age grave, but it shares similarities with another burial mound—Storhaug—that is dated to the late Merovingian period, meaning the period before the Viking Age. The dating will hopefully provide us with answers regarding the age of the grave."

Hanna Geiran, Director of the Directorate for Cultural Heritage, says the find is incredibly exciting and interesting.

“Although this is a known site, the findings from the investigation make it more likely that this could have been a ship burial. Now the findings will be reviewed, and over the summer, we will learn more about the history of this fantastic cultural heritage site,” Geiran said.

This article appears courtesy of Gemini News and may be found in its original form here. 

The opinions expressed herein are the author's and not necessarily those of The Maritime Executive.

 

Scientists Find Long-Buried Royal Navy Sub in Town Park

E52 (lower right) with sister ships during WWI (Royal Navy)

PUBLISHED JUL 2, 2023 11:57 PM BY THE MARITIME EXECUTIVE

 

Two scientists believe they’ve confirmed a longstanding urban legend in Dartmouth, UK: a Royal Navy submarine is indeed buried in the town park.

Experts used ground penetrating radar to scan the site where the defunct boat was believed to rest. The site was backfilled with dirt long ago to create Coronation Park. The vague outline of what they believe  be the submarine HMS E52 can be made out on the radar scans. It appears to be accompanied by a second object - a German torpedo boat, longer and narrower than E52.

The findings were made by archaeologist Dr. Simon Roffey and Dr David Ashby of University of Winchester. The two experts were intrigued by the recent research of Lieutenant Tom Kemp, who had determined the likely identity of the buried submarine that locals have talked about for years.

Lt. Kemp – a submariner who teaches navigation at nearby Britannia Royal Naval College – identified the craft as HMS E52 by looking through the archives. But for confirmation that there really was a sub under the park, radar was needed, and that is the area of expertise of Dr. Roffey and Dr. Ashby. 

“It’s been my personal hobbyhorse for the better part of the past year,” said Lt. Kemp. “Confirming the final resting place of one of His Majesty’s submarines – and a pretty successful one at that – would serve to remind and reiterate that our naval heritage is all around us and can often be clawed back from obscurity. Our time and energy could scarcely be better spent.”

The park covers an area about the size of three football fields. Working with Lt. Kemp, the scientists focused on the corner of the park – close to a spot where canoes ­and dinghies are stored – thought to hide the submarine.

The radar scanned below the surface, but the results were nothing as clear and distinct as the outline of a submarine. But to the experts, the results suggest large metallic objects lying about six feet below the surface. 

The team has concluded that E52 probably rests in the northeast corner of the park. At right angles to it is another large metallic object. This is most likely a German torpedo boat destroyer, which had also been purchased for scrapping after WWI. 

The two radar signatures line up with an aerial photo of Dartmouth in the 1920s, which shows the submarine and another craft sitting on what had then been mudflats.

The team are seeking permission from the local authority to dig small bore holes in the park to hopefully identify a piece of equipment or metal unique to E52. This would provide more definitive proof of the truth of the legend. 

An ingredient in toothpaste may make electric cars go farther

New fluoride-containing electrolyte paves the way for high performance, long-lasting batteries

Date: June 28, 2023

Source:DOE/Argonne National Laboratory

Summary:

Scientists have developed a fluoride-containing electrolyte for lithium metal batteries that could boost the electric vehicle industry. The usefulness of this electrolyte extends to other types of advanced battery systems beyond lithium ion.

An ingredient in many toothpastes is sodium fluoride, a compound of fluorine. It is added to protect teeth against decay. But compounds containing fluorine have other practical uses that might surprise you. Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Argonne National Laboratory have discovered a fluoride electrolyte that could protect a next generation battery against performance decline.

"An exciting new generation of battery types for electric vehicles beyond lithium ion is on the horizon," said Zhengcheng (John) Zhang, a group leader in Argonne's Chemical Sciences and Engineering division.

The chemistries of non-lithium-ion batteries offer twice or more energy stored in a given volume or weight compared to lithium ion. They could power cars for much longer distances and could even power long-haul trucks and aircraft one day. The expectation is that widespread use of such batteries will help address the problem of climate change. The main problem is that their high energy density declines rapidly with repeated charge and discharge.

One of the main contenders has an anode (negative electrode) made of lithium metal in place of the graphite normally used in lithium-ion batteries. It is thus called a "lithium metal" battery. The cathode (positive electrode) is a metal oxide that contains nickel, manganese and cobalt (NMC). While it can deliver more than double the energy density possible with a lithium-ion battery, that outstanding performance rapidly vanishes within less than a hundred charge-discharge cycles.

The team's solution involved changing the electrolyte, a liquid through which lithium ions move between cathode and anode to implement charge and discharge. In lithium metal batteries, the electrolyte is a liquid consisting of a lithium-containing salt dissolved in a solvent. The source of the short cycle-life problem is that the electrolyte does not form an adequate protective layer on the anode surface during the first few cycles. This layer, also called solid-electrolyte-interphase (SEI), acts like a guardian, allowing lithium ions to freely pass in and out of the anode to charge and discharge the battery, respectively.

The team discovered a new fluoride solvent that maintains a robust protective layer for hundreds of cycles. It couples a fluorinated component that is positively charged (cation) with a different fluorinated component that is negatively charged (anion). This combination is what scientists call an ionic liquid -- a liquid consisting of positive and negative ions.

"The key difference in our new electrolyte is the substitution of fluorine for hydrogen atoms in the ring-like structure of the cation part of the ionic liquid," Zhang said. "This made all the difference in maintaining high performance for hundreds of cycles in a test lithium metal cell."

To better understand the mechanism behind this difference at the atomic scale, the team drew upon the high performance computing resources of the Argonne Leadership Computing Facility (ALCF), a DOE Office of Science user facility.

As Zhang explained, simulations on the ALCF's Theta supercomputer revealed that the fluorine cations stick to and accumulate on the anode and cathode surfaces before any charge-discharge cycling. Then, during the early stages of cycling, a resilient SEI layer forms that is superior to what is possible with previous electrolytes.

High-resolution electron microscopy at Argonne and Pacific Northwest National Laboratory revealed that the highly protective SEI layer on the anode and cathode led to the stable cycling.

The team was able to tune the proportion of fluoride solvent to lithium salt to create a layer with optimal properties, including an SEI thickness that is not too thick or thin. Because of this layer, lithium ions could efficiently flow in and out of the electrodes during charge and discharge for hundreds of cycles.

The team's new electrolyte offers many other advantages as well. It is low cost because it can be made with extremely high purity and yield in one simple step rather than multiple steps. It is environmentally friendly because it uses much less solvent, which is volatile and can release contaminants into the environment. And it is safer because it is not flammable.

"Lithium metal batteries with our fluorinated cation electrolyte could considerably boost the electric vehicle industry," Zhang said. "And the usefulness of this electrolyte undoubtedly extends to other types of advanced battery systems beyond lithium ion."

A paper on this research appeared in Nature Communications. In addition to Zhang, Argonne authors include Qian Liu, Wei Jiang, Jiayi Xu, Zhenzhen Yang, Doo-Joo Yoo, Krzysztof Z. Pupek, and Cong Liu. Other contributors include Chongmin Wang and Yaobin Xu from Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and Kang Xu from the U.S. Army Research Laboratory.

This work was supported by the DOE Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, Vehicle Technologies Office. Computing time on the ALCF was awarded through DOE's ASCR Leadership Computing Challenge.

Story Source:

Materials provided by DOE/Argonne National Laboratory. Original written by Joseph E. Harmon. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.

Journal Reference:Qian Liu, Wei Jiang, Jiayi Xu, Yaobin Xu, Zhenzhen Yang, Dong-Joo Yoo, Krzysztof Z. Pupek, Chongmin Wang, Cong Liu, Kang Xu, Zhengcheng Zhang. A fluorinated cation introduces new interphasial chemistries to enable high-voltage lithium metal batteries. Nature Communications, 2023; 14 (1) DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-38229-7

Newmont CEO details mining’s “emerging global megatrends”

OLIVIA THOMSON4 days ago

Newmont chief executive officer Tom Palmer spoke at the World Mining Congress 2023, detailing key emerging global megatrends currently impacting the mining industry, and its future.

Palmer primarily spoke about societal transformation and technological changes in the mining sector.

Palmer said that society is increasingly demanding accountability, value sharing, and values-based decision making, and it’s important that Newmont meets and exceeds these demands.

“As an industry, we are tasked with satisfying society’s accelerating needs to resource the new energy future, whilst mining safely and sustainably. Not just because society expects it, but also because our workforces will demand it,” Palmer said.

Palmer said that accelerated technological advancements such as artificial intelligence require a robust human process.

“Together, these megatrends simultaneously animate, interact with, and reinforce one another in ways we cannot predict, giving rise to a growing meta-crisis, one in which we will be expected to succeed in right now, and over the long-term,” Palmer said.

“The intensity and velocity of these global megatrends are so universal and disruptive that if, as an industry, we are not agile enough to adapt, align and lead, we will risk losing control of our businesses.”

Palmer said recent technology innovation has helped Newmont businesses becomes safer, cleaner, more efficient and productive.

“Some of the technological benefits we’ve seen at Newmont in recent years include automation and remote operations,” Palmer said.

“Automation is helping us mitigate safety risks, reduce emissions and improve efficiencies. Specifically, autonomous vehicles, automated drilling, remote operations, and asset monitoring are critical to how we mine today and, even more so, in the future.

“As part of our commitment to address the impacts of climate change, we are also challenging ourselves and our equipment manufacturers to take risks in order to drive innovation and more rapidly develop sustainable solutions to reduce emissions.”

Palmer said despite the industry’s current and future challenges, Newmont is prepared to face them head on.

“Whilst the challenges ahead of us are significant and unprecedented, I firmly believe in the ingenuity and resolve of our teams to rise to the occasion and capitalise on emerging opportunities to overcome the headwinds confronting us,” Palmer said.

WHAT US SUBS ARE DOING

Disputing Chinese Sea Control Through Offensive Sea Mining

NAVAL MINE WARFARE ESSAY CONTEST—FIRST PRIZE
Sponsored by the Mine Warfare Association

The United States should pursue offensive mining capabilities against China in the Yellow Sea and the Pearl River Delta.

By Commander Victor Duenow, U.S. Navy

June 2022

 

Proceedings

 

Vol. 148/6/1,432

FEATURED ARTICLE

 

VIEW ISSUE

Possible future conflict scenarios between the United States and an increasingly aggressive and capable China suggest the United States will be at a significant and immediate disadvantage. By initiating the conflict through surprise and deception, China may be able to “attack effectively first,” seizing on and exploiting one of the late Navy Captain Wayne P. Hughes’ cornerstones of maritime warfare.1 This would allow China to optimally position its military, incapacitate frontline U.S. forces, and establish sea control.

Understanding this situation, the United States must find a means of disputing Chinese sea control. The U.S. Indo-Pacific Command (IndoPaCom) should aggressively pursue offensive mining capabilities to use in the Yellow Sea and Pearl River Delta. Mining these two key waterways would strike at a known Chinese vulnerability. Mines are effective and inexpensive weapons that can provide IndoPaCom with the time and space to build forces for an effective counterattack. Finally, mining would help the United States disrupt the Chinese economy.

Deteriorating U.S. Maritime Supremacy

China has spent the first part of the millennium expanding its capabilities to compete against the United States. A RAND Corporation study comparing the efficacy of U.S. and Chinese forces from 1996 through 2017 looked at several maritime warfare scenarios and was unequivocal that China had closed the capability gap and even gained superiority in several areas.2 U.S. Naval War College Professor Lyle Goldstein makes this situation even grimmer by illuminating the RAND Corporation’s omission of several key Chinese capabilities.3 Chinese mine warfare targeting U.S. submarines places these once unchallenged platforms at risk and disrupts IndoPaCom’s plans.4 Defending U.S. interests in the Pacific only becomes more challenging as Chinese capabilities increase.

A sailor installs an arming device into an inert Mk-62 Quickstrike
mine. The Quickstrike family is the only mine currently in the U.S.
arsenal. Credit: U.S. Navy (Jan David De Luna Mercado)

China has a strategic edge in the western Pacific because of its geography, mature strike warfare forces, and sophisticated antisurface warfare capabilities.5 Despite China having fewer total forces than the United States, it initially would be able to exert near-total dominance in its near seas.6 The Chinese Second Artillery Corps brings the weaponry and expertise to incapacitate

U.S. forward-operating bases and threaten capital ships using antiship ballistic missiles.7 Chinese proliferation of numerous lethal subsonic and supersonic missiles could prove devastating to U.S. Navy warships.8 The threat these weapons pose makes it likely the United States would suffer catastrophic losses if its ships maneuver within effective missile range, necessitating more standoff distance.9 In concert with Chinese advances in air and subsurface warfare, the sum of Chinese forces poses a formidable bulwark for any force attempting to penetrate China’s defenses.

Advancements in Chinese capabilities make it increasingly difficult for IndoPaCom to develop adequate countermeasures. China has made itself a particularly difficult target to attack because of its sheer size, base hardening, and skill in force concealment.10 Legacy U.S. aircraft are increasingly at risk, and the United States lacks sufficient stealth and long-range standoff strike weapons for sustained operations.11 Instead, IndoPaCom should use offensive mine warfare to substantially disrupt Chinese military operations, contest Chinese sea control, and upset the Chinese economy.

Chinese Mine Vulnerability

If the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) had free use of its naval facilities during a conflict with the United States, China would be better able to attain and sustain sea control. Mining Chinese waters would exploit China’s relative weakness in mine countermeasures, challenge and deter PLAN activity, and disrupt logistics support for PLAN offensive operations.

China has not invested heavily in mine countermeasures partly because the United States does not maintain a significant mine inventory. The PLAN is aware of U.S. mine warfare capabilities and has acknowledged mining must be taken into account during a maritime conflict.12 China Central Television Channel 7 coverage of PLAN mine countermeasures exercises showed that China considers mines a serious threat.13 Although the PLAN maintains mine countermeasures platforms, its equipment is largely outdated except for a small number of newer vessels and unproven experimental unmanned underwater vehicles.14 PLAN mine countermeasure capabilities are “limited” and primarily focused on mine countermeasures in the nearshore and port environments.15 Mines are easy to lay, but even for sophisticated mine countermeasures equipment removal is a time-consuming and challenging evolution.16 Chinese weakness in mine countermeasures leaves them vulnerable to mining from the United States.

Offensive mining would hold at risk and blockade in port the PLAN’S ships and submarines. Although the PLAN could direct its vessels to challenge the minefields, that would cost valuable time, ships, and people.17 Improvements in PLAN ships and antiship cruise missile technology are essential to helping the Chinese maintain sea control.18 By offensively mining the Pearl River Delta and Yellow Sea, the United States could reduce the area in which China could threaten U. S. and allied forces, providing more room to safely maneuver.

Although the Chinese would attempt to clear any minefields. the PLAN logistics system would be stressed with a reduction in available port facilities. Supplies would be funneled through a smaller number of open ports, overburdening those facilities.19 This disruption in supplies would wreak havoc across the PLAN, as ships would have to compete for limited berthing locations. The concentration of supplies and other logistics elements in the few open ports would make the Chinese military supply chain more vulnerable to attack, allowing the United States to further disrupt Chinese operations and sustainment of combat capabilities.

Disputing Sea Control

A rigid-hull inflatable boat approaches the training ship Shichang
for a drill. Mining Chinese waters would exploit China’s relative
weakness in mine countermeasures and thus overall Chinese
sea control. Credit: China Military

The addition of a robust mining capability would be an economical method of building IndoPaCom’s sea control arsenal. The Quickstrike family of aircraft-deployed mines is the only mine currently in the U.S. surface force arsenal.20 Through fiscal year (FY) 2020, Quickstrike mines and the submarine-launched mobile mine cost less than $85 million for their lifecycle.21 For FY2020, the Navy weapons procurement budget was $4,134 billion.22 Of that amount, the Navy spent $5.183 million on mines, making offensive mine procurement 0.125 percent of the Navy’s annual weapons budget.23 Building the required stockpile of Quickstrike or more modem mines would be inexpensive compared with other Navy weapons purchases.

By using offensive mining to dispute Chinese sea control, U.S. forces can project power within China’s sphere of influence. One of IndoPaCom’s greatest areas of concern is how to minimize U.S. casualties. Mines provide the ability to place PLAN vessels at risk without committing the personnel and ships required for traditional sea control.24 Unlike personnel that operate ships and aircraft, mines are on watch 24 hours a day. This continuous on-station time provides an asymmetric sea-denial weapon whose removal is time consuming, requires specialized training, and is expensive.

Although mines cannot win battles, they can minimize the impact of initial Chinese surprise and momentum.25 With the PLAN’S movement and resupply disrupted, the United States can capitalize on the time created by Chinese uncertainty and confusion to build up sufficient forces for follow-on operations. Denying China its water space would shrink its area of control, allowing the United States to force entry into less-contested waters. Offensive mining would provide IndoPaCom a means of economically contesting sea control and allow the United States to regulate the pace and location of operations.

Mining Economics

Mining the Pearl River Delta and Yellow Sea would also disrupt China’s economy by interrupting the flow of Chinese trade goods and oil imports. The container ship Ever Given's blockage of the Suez Canal in March 2021 showed the dramatic economic effect of a major maritime chokepoint closure. Although the primary purpose

Sailors conduct mine sweeping training on the USS Chief (MCM- 14). The United States does not maintain a significant inventory of mines. Thus, China has not invested heavily in mine countermeasures. of mines is deterring Chinese military forces, the economic impact of mining would be significantly more crippling on China than what the world experienced from the Suez Canal’s closure.

In 2019, 60 percent of Chinese trade by value traveled over the maritime commons.26 The ports in the Pearl River Delta and Yellow Sea regions constitute 92 percent of Chinese maritime trade by volume and more than 55 percent of all trade by value.27 Although the Chinese have been willing to undergo extreme deprivations in the past, the interruption of this sizable portion of China’s economy would be devastating.28 Such a severe economic impact could build pressure within China for a diplomatic resolution to the conflict.

Sailors conduct mine sweeping training on the USS Chief (MCM-
14). The United States does not maintain a significant inventory
of mines. Thus, China has not invested heavily in mine
countermeasures. Credit: U.S. Navy (Jordan Crouch)

Oil movement through Chinese ports also would be compromised. Domestically, China produces only one- third of the oil necessary to meet current demand.29 As energy demand has grown in China, domestic output has stagnated, becoming an increasingly smaller percentage of Chinese consumption. Eighty percent of the oil imported by China, constituting 55 percent of consumption, is delivered by tankers.30 Mining the Yellow Sea and Pearl River Delta would deprive China of more than 50 percent of the oil currently consumed. Starving the Chinese of oil supplies would affect the ability of the Chinese military to operate and would further weaken China’s economy.

Looking Forward

IndoPaCom should use mine warfare in the Pearl River and Yellow Sea during a conflict with China. Finding a way to bring China into diplomatic negotiations on favorable terms to the United States is the goal, and offensive mine warfare can help achieve it. Mines complicate China’s military problem, placing PLAN forces at risk. The United States can also dispute Chinese sea control while preparing for a counteroffensive. Finally, China would suffer economically from the loss of trade and oil supplies. By investing in cost-effective mine warfare, IndoPaCom can deter Chinese aggression and buy time while it builds high-end warfighting capabilities to better counter China.

1. CAPT Wayne P. Hughes Jr. and RADM Robert P. Girrier, USN (Ret.), Fleet Tactics and Naval Operations, 3rd ed. (Annapolis, MD: Naval Institute Press, 2018), 29.
2. “An Interactive Look at the U.S.-China Military Scorecard,” Project Air Force, RAND Corporation.
3. Lyle Goldstein, “The U.S.-China Naval Balance in the Asia-Pacific: An Overview,” The China Quarterly 232 (London, 2017): 921.
4. Lyle Goldstein, “China Is Using Sea Mines to Create an Underwater A2/AD Deathzone,” The National Interest, 6 March 2021.
5. “An Interactive Look at the U.S.-China Military Scorecard.”
6. Eric Heginbotham et al., The U.S.-China Military Scorecard: Forces, Geography and the Evolving Balance of Power, 1996-2017 (Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 2015), 21.
7. Goldstein, “The U.S.-China Naval Balance in the Asia-Pacific,” 910.
8. Heginbotham, The U.S.-China Military Scorecard, 174.
9. Heginbotham, 175.
10. Goldstein, “The U.S.-China Naval Balance in the Asia-Pacific,” 912.
11. Heginbotham, The U.S.-China Military Scorecard, 114.
12. Lyle Goldstein, “Chinese Mine Warfare: Insights from Chinese Writings,” lecture, PowerPoint provided to author, London, April 2013, 74.
13. “Military Report,” CCTV 7 [China Central Television Channel 7], 24 April 2021.
14. Lyle Goldstein, “Chinese Development of Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs),” lecture, PowerPoint provided to author, 24 January 2019, 74.
15. Scott C. Truver, “Taking Mines Seriously: Mine Warfare in China’s Near Seas,” Naval War College Review 65, no. 2, Article 5 (Spring 2012): 60.
16. Andrew S. Erickson, William S. Murray, and Lyle J. Goldstein, “Chinese Mine Warfare: A PLA Navy ‘Assassin’s Mace’ Capability” (2009), CMS I Red Books, Study No. 3, 41.
17. Joshua J. Edwards, “Preparing Today for the Mines of Tomorrow,” Naval War College Review 72, no. 3 (2019): 59.
18. Goldstein, “The U.S.-China Naval Balance in the Asia-Pacific,” 913.
19. Chief of Naval Operations and Commandant of the Marine Corps, “Mine Warfare,” 2.1.
20. Truver, “Taking Mines Seriously,” 54-55.
21. Department of the Navy, “Justification Book Volume 1 of 1: Weapons Procurement, Navy,” Department of Defense Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Budget Estimates (Washington, DC: Department of the Navy, February 2020), 368.
22. Department of the Navy, “Justification Book,” vii.
23. Department of the Navy, “Justification Book,” 365.
24. Joshua J. Edwards and CAPT Dennis M. Gallagher, USN, “Mine and Undersea Warfare for the Future,” U.S. Naval Institute Proceedings 140, no. 8 (August 2014): 70-75.
25. 25. Edwards, “Preparing Today for the Mines of Tomorrow,” 41.
26. 26. China Power Team, “How Much Trade Transits the South China Sea?” China Power, 2 August 2017, updated 25 January 2021.
27. 27. “One Hundred Ports 2020: The Definitive Ranking of the World’s Largest Container Ports,” Lloyd’s List Intelligence.
28. 28. Lyle Goldstein, interview by author, Newport, RI, 21 April 2021.
29. 29. Jeff Barron, “China’s Crude Oil Imports Surpassed 10 Million Barrels Per Day in 2019,” U.S. Energy Information Administration, 23 March 2020.
30. 30. Barron, “China’s Crude Oil Imports.”

Commander Victor Duenow, U.S. Navy

COMMANDER DUENOW, a 2005 U.S. Naval Academy graduate, is a career MH-60S naval aviator who completed tours at Helicopter Sea Combat Squadron (HSC) 22, Helicopter Training Squadron 8, the USS Theodore Roosevelt (CVN-71), and U.S. Fleet Forces Command. During his last operational tour, he was the operations officer at HSC-28 and helped establish its airborne mine countermeasures department. He holds an executive master’s of business administration from the Naval Postgraduate School and graduated with distinction from the Naval War College with a master’s of arts in defense and strategic studies.