Monday, August 12, 2024

Class Acts

Three of the biggest classification societies provide their insights into the evolving role of their organizations

(Article originally published in May/June 2024 edition.)

Maritime classification societies have long served as a key functional element of waterborne trades, spanning industry sectors and ship types and ensuring the safety, environmental compliance and operational efficiency of vessels worldwide.

Three juggernauts in the field – Bureau Veritas (BV), Lloyd's Register (LR) and Korean Register (KR) – exemplify the changing and challenging scope these organizations face on a daily basis.

Laying the Keel

For centuries, trade by sea was pretty much the only option for transporting large amounts of cargo over great distances. Even so, it wasn’t a very good option.

Dozens of vessels, hundreds of lives and thousands of tons of cargo were lost at sea annually. Before the late 18th century, there was limited accountability for these losses, which meant merchants had little means of assuring their cargo’s safety or of recouping any losses they might incur.

Then someone had a great idea. And like virtually all great ideas, it began over coffee.

The Society for the Registry of Shipping was set up in 1760 by customers of Edward Lloyd’s Coffee House on Lombard Street in London, frequented by sailors, merchants, shipowners and other saintly folk. The shipping community met here to discuss maritime insurance, shipbroking and foreign trade, and the coffee house soon became a trusted source for reliable shipping news – so much so that this prototypical Starbuck’s led to the establishment of (and lent its name to) the insurance market Lloyd's of London, the publication Lloyd's List and several related shipping and insurance businesses.

Most notably for our purposes, meetings between industry leaders resulted in the “Register Book,” which listed vessels rated – or classed – after the condition of their hulls and equipment had been surveyed. This gave merchants and underwriters standardized information on the quality of the vessels they chartered and insured. It also formed the basis of what would become LR (Lloyd’s Register) and laid the foundation for the rigorous standards and inspections that characterize modern classification societies.

With a heritage that now extends over 260 years, LR – alongside its later class society peers – continues to play an increasingly important role in the maritime industry, ensuring the safety of personnel and property and the prevention of pollution at all stages of a vessel’s design, construction and operation.

Claudene Sharp-Patel, LR’s Technical Director, emphasizes the organization’s evolution alongside the industry itself, saying, “With a rapidly changing maritime industry, class societies’ role as trusted advisers will become even more important to stakeholders up and down the maritime value chain as they deal with multiple drivers including decarbonization, digitalization and numerous other advances.”

Keeping Pace with New Technology

Today’s class societies continue to verify the structural strength and integrity of the essential parts of a ship’s hull and all of the installed systems and equipment within it. However, just as vessels have switched from sail to steam to diesel to battery hybrid and, in some cases, back to sail, class societies too have evolved to keep pace with modern technology.

New technology is pivotal in driving the maritime energy transition, and KR (Korean Register) aims to lead the future of the maritime industry by adopting advanced artificial intelligence and digital technologies. Innovative modern technologies such as autonomous ships, condition-based maintenance (CBM), remote surveys and digital twins are transforming the paradigm of ship operations.

“We are actively embracing these changes and focusing on the development of new technologies,” says KR Chairman and CEO, Hyungchul Lee.

BV (Bureau Veritas) is also actively involved in projects that leverage technological advances to enhance safety, efficiency and sustainability. BV's Future Shipping Team (FST), for instance, focuses on research and expertise across green efficiency initiatives including alternative fuels, wind-assisted propulsion and nuclear energy. This team fosters enhanced dialogue with stakeholders such as financial institutions and energy suppliers to address sustainability challenges.

BV continuously expands its understanding of client needs and drives safety and performance across various vessel types including gas carriers, Floating Storage Regasification Units (FSRUs) and specialized ships like dredgers, heavy-lift and dynamically positioned vessels. The lessons learned from inside and outside the maritime space allow the organization to better adapt to a rapidly changing landscape that extends beyond the maritime sector.

According to BV’s Corporate Affairs Director, Nicholas Brown, “In a world where shipping can no longer just be about the ship, BV goes way beyond the capabilities of class and related maritime consultancy to provide assurance and certification across all value chains, from farms and mines and commodities to factories and buildings, infrastructure to consumer products.”

These organizations have also had to evolve with advances in future fuels, digitalization projects and, particularly, Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG). These services have become increasingly crucial as regulatory pressures and stakeholder demands prompt companies to disclose their performance in areas like emissions reduction, corporate governance and hiring practices.

Autonomous Ships & Remote Technology

No discussion of tech and innovation in the maritime sector can be had without including the topic of autonomy, which represents a huge area of focus for classification societies.

The adoption of autonomous ships and remote technology has been accelerating and promises to enhance the safety and efficiency of the maritime industry. Class societies are working together toward a better understanding of autonomy's potential advantages and disadvantages and to establish the highest standards for its safe integration across the maritime industry.

KR has committed itself to research into autonomous navigation systems and believes this technology can ensure safer ship operation. Real-time data analysis and enhanced situational awareness reduce the tasks demanded of seafarers. Automated route planning and optimized navigation paths can reduce fuel consumption, shorten transit times and improve port entry-and-exit coordination. KR’s Lee believes the advancement of autonomous navigation technology can maximize operational efficiency and safety while simultaneously reducing costs.

Taking it a step further, KR has also been focusing on the development and application of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the form of Large Language Models (LLM), which are driving changes across many industries. LLM technology is capable of learning patterns from large volumes of text data such as class rules and requirements. KR is applying this new capability to its extensive survey rules and convention data, ultimately improving productivity and innovating decision-making processes.

Class societies have realized that remote monitoring and autonomous technology can offer substantial operational gains for their own on-site operations as well and have taken substantial steps in realizing those advantages for its clients.

In one form or another, class has committed to remote monitoring as a means of improving performance, not just of equipment and systems, but of their own operations. Societies increasingly use drones for in-water surveys, streamlining the inspection process and allowing for more frequent and comprehensive assessments of a vessel's condition. This technology not only enhances efficiency but also supports better maintenance practices and improved safety standards.

Collaboration

It may seem counterintuitive, but all these organizations point to collaboration as a critical element for advancing autonomous operations. Maintaining the single common theme since LR’s inception in 1760, collaboration between modern industry stakeholders ensures that maritime laws and standards are translated into practical rules and guidelines to preserve lives, safeguard ships and protect the marine environment.

As the maritime industry faces complex and evolving challenges, the roles of classification societies cannot be overstated. These organizations must simultaneously be dedicated to their traditional roles in assuring the overall seaworthiness of vessels while supporting an evolving industry that is increasingly committed to energy transition and decarbonization, ESG, workforce development and myriad other good-faith efforts.

Collaboration provides foresight and perspective on the large-scale challenges affecting the maritime industry including climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution. These efforts highlight a mutual commitment to harnessing technology to meet sustainability goals.

When asked about how class societies collaborate with industry stakeholders, BV’s Brown simply states, “All the time and everywhere.” Today’s classification societies and their industry partnerships continuously work to bridge the gap between regulatory bodies and the industry, translating laws and standards into grounded rules and guidelines to preserve lives, safeguard assets and protect the marine environment.

Maritime consultant Chad Fuhrmann is the founder and owner of REvolution Consulting X Engineering.

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

LIQUID CARBON DIOXIDE

Work Begins in South Korea to Build First Large LCO2 Carriers

HD Hyundai Mipo kicked off its first building program for the emerging market of gas carriers to transport captured CO2. In addition to being the first LCO2 carrier to be built in South Korea, the vessel is significantly larger than the ones currently being built in China. Hyundai anticipates that it is an emerging market that can leverage its expertise in gas carriers.

Steel cutting began at the group’s Ulsan shipyard for the first of four LCO2 carriers ordered by Greece’s Capital Maritime Group. The first two vessels were ordered in July 2023 but Capital expanded the order before construction ever began based on the anticipated strong demand for carbon transport as part of the planned capture and storage options.

Hyundai highlights unique challenges for this segment which it has been able to address by advancing the pressure control technology of liquified gas. Working with its affiliate shipyards in the HD Hyundai Group, the Mipo shipyard reports it completed development of the new pressure controls in April.

“We are further accelerating the development of new ship technologies and the expansion of production facilities in preparation for increasingly strengthened decarbonization regulations,” said an official of HD Hyundai Mipo during the ceremony marking the first steel cut.

The vessels will have three “Bi-lobe type carbon dioxide storage tanks” with a total capacity of 22,000 cbm. By comparison, the vessels being built in China for Norway’s Northern Lights project each have a capacity of 7,500 cbm. Hyundai highlights that the tanks can stably maintain a low temperature and a high-pressure environment of -55 degrees C, five times normal atmospheric pressure. The control system is vital because if the pressure in the cargo hold decreases, the liquid carbon dioxide may change into a solid form of dry ice, which would damage the piping and other systems.

The pressure control system also will permit the vessels to be versatile in their cargo. It will be possible to also transport liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) or ammonia in addition to the LCO2.

Each of the vessels will measure approximately 525 feet (159.9 meters). The hull is also ice resistant (Ice Class 1C) so that it can navigate safely in cold, icy seas. HD Hyundai Mipo reports the vessels will also have 2,500 kW shore power units and SCR nitrogen oxide reduction devices on their exhaust. The design is also ammonia ready meaning with future modifications the vessel could be fueled with ammonia.

Capital Gas reported in June that it signed a letter of intent to install a pioneering onboard carbon capture system also on these vessels. The system is being designed by a Greek company, EMRA First. Both Lloyd’s Register and DNV reviewed the design concepts for the CO2 capture system.

The first of the vessels is scheduled for delivery to Capital Gas in November 2025. The three additional vessels will be built sequentially with deliveries scheduled to continue to the second half of 2026.

INFLATION

Volumes and Freight Costs Surge as Retailers Accelerate U.S. Imports

container on ship arriving in port — Import volumes are expected to surge in Q3 as retailers rush to get inventory ahead of a possible East Coast dock strike (LA file photo)

Retailers are rushing to get inventories into the United States reports the National Retail Federation in part due to the fears of a U.S. East Coast dockworkers strike and to guard against the ongoing disruptions due to the diversions away from the Red Sea. The result is that volumes spiked in June contributing to the strong jump in freight rates with the NRF raising its forecast for imports in the third quarter before falling and flattening out in the fourth quarter.

“Retailers are concerned by the possibility of a strike at ports on the East and Gulf coasts because contract talks have stalled,” said Jonathan Gold, NRF Vice President for Supply Chain and Customs Policy. “Many retailers have taken precautions including earlier shipping and shifting cargo to West Coast ports.”

The group revised upwards its figure for June saying it believes retailers imported a total of 2.16 million TEU coming through the major U.S. seaports. Well-known industry analyst Peter Sand, Chief Analyst at Xeneta agrees noting that while the trade from China to North America did not set a new all-time high, it was still the highest volume of containers to have ever been shipped in the month of June. Xeneta calculates a total of 1.36 million TEU were imported specifically from Cina into the U.S.

The NRF is projecting that the accelerated shipments will continue with the trade group raising its forecast nearly six percent for both July and August and up three percent for September. The retailers are forecasting a total of 6.84 million TEU in the third quarter up nearly five percent over their forecast in early July.

Vessel diversions have led to increased shipping times and costs and have led to equipment shortages and congestion in Asian ports, says Gold. He also believes that rising freight rates also prompted importers to ship earlier.

“Shippers wanted to protect supply chains and that has come with a heavy price tag,” comments Sand. He says, “The massive volumes shipped in May and June contributed to the severe congestion seen at ports in Asia and the dramatic spike in rates.” The record volumes seen in May and June he also believes underlines major fronthaul trades out of China ahead of the traditional peak season in Q3.

“Importers are continuing to grow their inventories and are shifting cargo to the West Coast as a precaution against potential labor disruptions,” comments Ben Hackett, Founder of Hackett Associates. “We calculate that the shift has pushed the West Coast share of cargo we track to above 50 percent for the first time in over three years.”

The NRF believes though that this is an acceleration, a fear that Maersk also echoed reporting its quarterly results. The industry is concerned if the volumes would be maintained with the NRF now lowering its forecast for October imports by more than 16 percent.

Despite the apparent fronthaul this year, the expectation is that volumes will still show small gains during the fourth quarter. For the full year, the retailers are forecasting an annual total of 24.95 million TEU which will be up nearly 12 percent over last year and third only to the total seen during the surge years of 2021 and 2022.

The import numbers come as NRF is forecasting that 2024 retail sales – excluding automobile dealers, gasoline stations, and restaurants to focus on core retail – will grow between 2.5 and 3.5 percent over 2023.

Like many in the importing and manufacturing sectors, the National Retail Federation is urging the International Longshoremen’s Association and the United States Maritime Alliance to return to the table to continue negotiations ahead of the September 30 expiration of the contract for dockworkers at ports ranging from Maine to the U.S. Gulf Coast.

Oman's Port of Salalah Adapts to Red Sea Disruption

Oman’s Port of Salalah has reported recovery in cargo traffic after a significant decline in container throughput earlier this year. This was primarily attributable to the ongoing Red Sea crisis, forcing vessels to reroute around Africa. The port’s container traffic dropped to 878,000 TEUs during Q1 2024 compared to 1.056 million recorded during the same quarter in 2023, representing a 17 percent decline.

However, in a recent interview with the local media, the CEO of Salalah Port Services Mohammed Al-Mashani said the port’s cargo throughput is improving. During the first half, the Port of Salalah handled 1.7 million TEU and 11.6 million tons of general cargo. Al- Mashani added that the port is preparing for an expanded transshipment market, based on its strategic location on the main east-west shipping routes. The port is rolling out a $300 million expansion plan, which will see the annual container handling capacity increase from 5 million to 6 million TEU. The expansion also includes addition of six fully electric ship-to-shore cranes, bringing the total number from 21 to 27 by the end of the year.

“We are fostering connections with major international shipping lines as well as expanding our transshipment market, which links the continents of Europe, Asia and Africa,” commented Al-Mashani.

With growing demand for international trade in the East African market, Salalah is well positioned as the transshipment port for this region. It offers up to five days’ shorter transit times between Southeast Asia and countries in East Africa including Somalia, Djibouti, Kenya, Tanzania, Seychelles and Ethiopia.

In addition, the port introduced a multi-modal service option for shipping lines that wanted to avoid the time consuming and costly re-routing around the Cape of Good Hope. The option includes moving the cargo from the Port of Salalah through an overland route by truck, connect to Jeddah located in the safer mid-point of the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia. This overland route takes 4-5 days. From Jeddah, the cargo can continue by container vessel through Suez Canal to Europe or the US East Coast.

Video: Fiery Container Explosion Aboard Yang Ming Vessel Docked in China

China’s second busiest container port and the neighboring area was rocked today by a powerful explosion in a container aboard a Yang Ming vessel docked in the Ningbo-Zhoushan port complex. Despite the fireball and flying debris, reports indicate that there were no injuries among the crew or dockworkers.

Yang Ming and Chinese officials issued a statement blaming the explosion which could be felt more than a half mile from the port on a container transporting hazardous materials. Yang Ming reports the shipper said it was substituting a reefer box for a dry container but that it did not require electricity for refrigeration. Unconfirmed reports on China Central Television (CCTV) cited manifests showing the vessel had lithium-ion batteries and a chemical compound (Butyl peroxbenzoate) as its cargo. The chemical requires temperatures below 86 degrees F and media reports cite an ongoing heatwave in China.

Images show smoke coming from the front of the vessel shortly before the powerful explosion. A massive fireball is seen rising from the vessel and debris from the explosion. Bits of the container and various goods are reported to be littering the dock area.

Yang Ming reports the vessel, the YM Mobility (81,145 dwt ) was successfully evacuated and all the crewmembers are safe. Fire crews reported to the scene and are said to have the resulting fire under control. At least portions of the massive Ningbo-Zhousan port complex have also reportedly suspended operations.

The YM Mobility, registered in Liberia, was built in 2011 and is reported to be operating between the Far East and the Middle East. The vessel has a capacity of 6,589 TEU. It arrived in Ningo yesterday, August 8, after a stop in Shanghai on a voyage that was coming from the United Arab Emirates.

Aftermath shows smoke coming from the cargo hold and a container lying on the dock as well as other debris (Chinese media/Weibo)

The container industry has repeatedly cautioned about the dangers of poorly packed or handled hazardous materials as well as incorrect or incomplete declarations. Experts highlight that if the explosion had happened at sea the consequences could have been far worse. A Maersk vessel, Maersk Frankfurt, remains at sea off India for three weeks fighting a stubborn container fire. One crewmember was reportedly killed in the early efforts to control the fire. The Indian Coast Guard assisted for nearly two weeks before salvage teams arrived and continue to work to resolve the fire.

Maersk Names Third Large Methanol Dual-Fuel Boxship in Denmark

Maersk dual fuel containership — Nmaing ceremony for the third large methanol dual-fuel containership today in Denmark (Maersk)

Maersk celebrated the naming of the third vessel in its fleet of 18 large dual-fuel methanol containerships as the company continues the rollout of the revolutionary ships while also looking to the future. The naming of the fourth ship comes in just a matter of weeks while the company this week laid out plans for its fleet modernization focusing on the transition to new, greener ships.

“We are excited to introduce Antonia Maersk, the third large dual-fuel vessel in our fleet capable of sailing on green methanol,” the company wrote online. “The name was unveiled today at a ceremony held in Aarhus, Denmark. Antonia Maersk was christened by its godmother Kirsten Andersen, spouse of Vestas CEO Henrik Andersen.” Vestas is the Danish wind turbine company.

Consistent with the tradition of naming Maersk vessels after members of the founding family, Antonia Maersk is named after Antonia Uggla, granddaughter of Ane Maersk Mc-Kinney Uggla, the chair of A.P. Møller Foundation and its investment company A.P. Moller Holding, the majority owner of A.P. Moller - Maersk.

The Antonia Maesk is one of 18 large methanol-enabled newbuilds scheduled for delivery between 2024 and 2025. The first ship of the revolutionary class, Ane Maersk, was christened in January 2024 in South Korea and the second vessel Astrid Maersk was named in April in Yokohama, Japan. Keeping with the effort to show off the vessels and highlight the leadership in new technology, the fourth vessel will be named in a ceremony in late August at the Port of Los Angeles with co-sponsor Nike.

The ships incorporate new designs including moving the deckhouse and accommodations to the bow and offsetting the funnel to one side on the stern. The ships, which are 174,000 dwt, have 10 holds and a total loading capacity of just over 16,500 TEU. Both the main engines from MAN and the auxiliary engines are dual-fuel capable of running fully on methanol. Maersk reports when operating with methanol, the ship saves up to approximately 280 tonnes of CO2 per day compared to a traditional sip running on diesel fuel.

Ane Maersk which entered service in January highlights the different configuration of the vessel (Maersk)

CEO Vincent Clerc used today’s ceremony to reiterate the company’s commitment to accelerating a reduction in carbon emissions while also repeating calls for broad cooperation. He highlighted the higher cost of green fuels, at a time when the company is experiencing overall higher operating costs due to the diversions away from the Red Sea, and the challenges of obtaining enough green methanol. He admitted they are still having to operate the new ships part time on traditional fuels including to navigate into ports.

"We cannot make this journey alone,” Clerc told today’s audience. “A price mechanism is needed that can close the gap between the prices of transport with green fuels and fossil fuels.” He repeated today a new position for Maersk admitting due to the challenges they believe several different fuels will be used by the industry.

Earlier in the week Maersk said it was nearing orders for 50 to 60 new vessels, all to be used as fleet replacements. They are targeting 800,000 TEU of capacity by 2030, expecting a pace of 180,000 TEU per year.

To ensure the long-term competitiveness of the fleet and its ability to deliver on the decarbonization goals, Maersk announced it revised its strategy electing a mix of methanol and liquified gas dual-fuel propulsion systems. The company said it has commenced the work of securing offtake agreements for liquified bio-methane (bio-LNG) to ensure that the new dual-fuel gas vessels provide greenhouse gas emissions reductions in this decade.

Near-term, however, Maersk will continue to highlight its methanol vessels. Five of the methanol vessels are now in service, including one smaller feeder ship, with a total of 18 of the large vessels ordered. In addition, last year Maersk ordered six mid-size (9,000 TEU) dual-fuel vessels to be built in China. The first conversion of a large, in-service containership to methanol also got underway in July in China.

U.S. Coast Guard Tracks Russian Spy Ship Off Aleutian Islands

The Russian Navy signals intelligence ship Kurily (USCG)

Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard intercepted and followed a Russian Navy surveillance ship off the coast of the Aleutian Islands.

On July 5, while on patrol in the Aleutians, the crew of the medium-endurance cutter USCGC Alex Haley detected a Russian vessel about 30 nautical miles southeast of Amukta Pass, midway between Dutch Harbor and Adak. This area is within the U.S. exclusive economic zone, but well outside of American territorial seas.

The Alex Haley's crew did not communicate with the vessel, according to the Coast Guard. They confirmed that it was a Russian Vishnya-class ship, and they followed as it headed east. An HC-130 aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak also monitored the vessel.

By hull markings in released imagery, the Russian ship can be identified as the signals intelligence vessel Kurily (SSV 208). The Kurily dates to 1987, the waning days of the Cold War; she is lightly armed with short-range air defense weaponry and is equipped for intercepting communications signals.

“As a proud Alaska-homeported cutter, we patrol to uphold maritime governance and a rules-based international order,” said Cmdr. Steven Baldovsky, commanding officer of the Alex Haley. “We met presence with presence to ensure there were no disruptions to U.S. interests in the maritime environment around Alaska.”

The Coast Guard noted that this kind of interaction is not uncommon in the Bering Sea and the North Pacific. On July 6-7, the National Security Cutter USCGC Kimball tracked three Chinese naval vessels at a position about 100 nautical miles north of Amchitka Pass. At about the same time, a Coast Guard HC-130J aircrew found another Chinese vessel about 70 nautical miles north of Amukta Pass. All four vessels complied with international rules and norms during their transit, according to the Coast Guard.

Unexploded Ordnance From the Past Poses a Threat to Ocean's Future

A deck gun aboard the lost WWII carrier USS Wasp, somewhere in the Coral Sea (File image courtesy Navigea / RV Petrel)

So many Second World War ships and planes were sunk around Savo Island in months of conflict between the US and Japan, that this stretch of the Pacific Ocean earned the new name Iron Bottom Sound.

Decades later, the wrecks remain and so do their contents and cargos, including toxic chemicals from ammunition, explosives, and fuel. As they corrode and leak in the deep waters off this part of the Solomon Islands archipelago, chemicals such as heavy metals and hydrocarbons leach into the marine environment. These possess possible risks to the surrounding ecosystems and perhaps even human health.

Iron Bottom Sound is just one example of a growing global problem. From Hawaii to the Baltic Sea, researchers are working against the clock to understand the risk to the marine environment posed by these legacy munitions – and what should be done about them.

Many were put into the ocean deliberately, to dispose of unused stocks at the end of conflicts. “They have been dumping munitions in the ocean for a long time,” says Margo Edwards, director of the Applied Research Laboratory at the University of Hawaii, who has studied the problem.

There these weapons have largely lain undisturbed for almost a century, but fishing and other marine activities such as offshore wind power are now increasingly intruding on the sites. And as the munitions corrode, the risk of environmental contamination grows year by year. “It’s kind of our modern life expanding into a decision that was made back in the 1940s, and even prior to that, that’s causing this conflict,” says Edwards.

Bracing for disaster

In some cases, leftover munitions are well known landmarks. The US wreck SS Richard Montgomery, for example, has lain in shallow water in the Thames estuary about 50 miles east of London since it ran aground in a storm in 1944. With its masts clearly visible above the often choppy water, the stricken vessel is laden with an estimated 1,400 tonnes of unexploded ordnance. An assessment in 1970 found that if this blew up, it would trigger a tsunami large enough to engulf the nearby town of Sheerness.

But in many cases, the scale and exact location of the underwater hazards remain unknown. Records have been lost or were never made in the first place. Anxious sailors tasked with disposing of the dangerous leftovers often tipped them into the sea as soon as possible.

For years, the problem has been out of sight and out of mind. But, some experts say, that is no longer the right approach. The metal canisters and boxes that hold many of the dumped explosives have been steadily corroding and are now at increased risk of leakage. If significant numbers were to give way simultaneously, or in a short space of time, that could cause a serious pollution event. At the very least, researchers say, we need better surveys and monitoring so that the level of risk can be properly assessed.

“All the mechanisms are in place for a huge environmental disaster,” says Jacek Beldowski, a geochemist working with ocean-dumped munitions at the Institute of Oceanology, Polish Academy of Sciences. “Everything depends on the rate of corrosion, and will it be simultaneous or not?”

Assessing the environmental risk

The environmental threat from unexploded undersea munitions comes in two forms.

The first is discarded chemical weapons, including mustard agents, used to generate the kind of poison gas that caused terror in the trenches of the First World War. These agents, and breakdown products such as arsenic, are toxic to sea life and accumulate in the larvae of fish and shellfish.

The second comes from ingredients of conventional explosives, including TNT. These are known to cause cancer and so scientists cannot set a “safe” level of exposure.

“Both are persistent point sources of contamination at the bottom of the sea and they’re releasing toxic constituents,” says Beldowski, who has seen the situation firsthand in the Baltic Sea.

“We’ve got something like 40,000 tonnes of chemical munitions in the Baltic, and maybe half a million tonnes of conventional munitions,” he says. “It’s easier to identify chemical munition if it is corroded because you see the bursting charge, which was in the middle to spray the warfare agents around.”

There is no question that toxic chemicals are being released, but that does not always indicate a serious threat to the environment. It all depends on the concentration and how it affects marine life. That is something that Edmund Maser, a toxicologist at Kiel University in Germany, is trying to find out.

Maser has run experiments in the Baltic to expose mussels to corroding mines placed there by the British navy in the 1940s, and to chunks of TNT that have fallen out of them. After three months they found the mussels next to the chunks had absorbed up to 400 times more of the TNT and its derivatives than those placed next to the more intact mines.

Maser says this shows the risk of environmental contamination will rise sharply as munitions corrode.

“When we wait too long, all these bombs, mines and torpedo heads will lose their protecting metal shell. That will expose a bigger surface area of the explosive, and then we will have a higher dissolution rate into the environment.”

Fishing is banned from known munition sites in the Baltic. But work in Maser’s lab has shown that mussels grown elsewhere, including in the North Sea, have started to show signs of similar contamination. Mussels collected in the 1980s did not contain the toxins. “The first signs of munition chemicals appeared in 2000. And starting in 2012, we had clear signs of these chemicals appearing,” says Maser. The concentrations are still low, he stresses, but they will continue to increase.

Action is needed now, Maser says, before the situation gets worse. “We should now start remediation. To prevent further corrosion and to prevent a further contamination of the marine environment.”

Who should fix the problem?

Making the munitions safe or removing them from the sea is a challenging task. Disturbing sites risks accidents and further disintegration of metal casings. Controlled explosions have been carried out in the past, but these would simply spread the contamination over a wider area.

There’s also the question of who is responsible. David Alexander, professor of emergency planning and management at University College London, has studied the risks posed by the SS Richard Montgomery in the Thames. He points out that efforts to make the wreck safer have been complicated because it’s an American-owned ship in British waters.

“The US government offered to do something about it [in 1948 and 1967], and the British government said, ‘no thank you,’” he says.

The responsibility issue is particularly acute for Pacific islanders, including those on the Solomon Islands, who have effectively inherited someone else’s problem. Alongside international NGOs, the US and Japan have worked to remove munitions from places such as Palau, points out Linsey Cottrell, environment policy officer with the Conflict and Environment Observatory.

Much of this work has so far focused on munitions left on land, as they pose a greater threat to local people. But that work will have to spread offshore, Cottrell says.

“Palau and the Solomon Islands have got such a high dependency on tourism and diving. It’s kind of critical to deal with it,” she says.

Next year will see the 80th anniversary of the war that gave Iron Bottom Sound its name. The problems created then still remain to be solved.

David Adam is a freelance journalist based near London. This article appears courtesy of Dialogue Earth 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.

U.S. Air Force Sinks a Ro/Ro to Test Antiship Bomb

Ro/ro sinking — Monarch Countess going under (AFRL)

As part of its ongoing effort to perfect a new class of weapon - the precision-guided antiship bomb - the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory has sunk another merchant vessel in the Gulf of Mexico.

For years, a team at AFRL has been working with the U.S. Navy on an anti-ship guidance system that works with the Pentagon's standard smart bomb tail kit, the Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) - among the most common and affordable guided weapons in the U.S. inventory. Their objective was to create a $40,000 bomb that rivals the performance of a $5 million Mk 48 heavyweight torpedo.

Quicksink-equipped 2,000-pound bombs on an F-15E Strike Eagle, 2022 (USAF / AFRL)

“A Navy submarine has the ability to launch and destroy a ship with a single torpedo at any time, but the Quicksink aims to develop a low-cost method of achieving torpedo-like kills from the air at a much higher rate and over a much larger area,” explained AFRL program manager Kirk Herzog in 2022.

In the first round of testing in 2022, the lab attached this "Quicksink" guidance kit to a 2,000-pound bomb, loaded it onto an F-15E Strike Eagle, and dropped it on a decommissioned merchant ship. The vessel broke in half, and the stern section slipped below in 20 seconds, followed by the bow 17 seconds later.

A second test was carried out on the decommissioned amphib USS Tarawa last month off the coast of Hawaii, as part of a sinking exercise for the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) maneuvers. Detailed results have not been released, but the target ultimately sank after multiple hits from different munitions.

In July, AFRL tested Quicksink again - this time on a much different vessel, the small ro/ro Monarch Countess (IMO 7500736). A B-2 stealth bomber dropped the munition on the Countess off of Destin-Fort Walton Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast; no video of the test was released.

The Countess' sinking was carried out in partnership with Okaloosa County's artificial reef program, which redeploys older tonnage as an attraction for dive tourism and a habitat for fish. At a site depth of 180 feet, the wreckage will be accessible to recreational divers.

Monarch Countess was a 2,700 dwt ro/ro freighter built in 1977. Her previous name was Cap Canaille, and she once flew the French flag for CMA CGM.

LA REVUE GAUCHE - Left Comment