Case Histories (International Projects)

Zetica completed a UXO Desk Study & Risk Assessment prior to an intrusive ground investigation on a military airfield in Cyprus

As with any desk study, Zetica’s researchers compiled a detailed operational history of the military establishment encompassing the site.

The aim was to determine whether the site was used for munitions storage or disposal, or for any other airfield activity involving ordnance.

Zetica identified resources located in British archives and libraries.  Site plans and information provided by the Ministry of Defence (MoD) also allowed us to confidently identify buildings located on the site and mitigate any risk associated with them.

It was concluded that the site had historically comprised ancillary buildings associated with a dispersal platform, and that no significant munitions storage or expenditure had occurred on it.

As a result of detailed research, Zetica’s report confirmed the site had a low UXO hazard level.

Zetica was commissioned to undertake a detailed UXO risk assessment for a 1,518km electricity interconnector scheme between Israel and Greece in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea.

Our research identified several different sources of potential UXO hazard from over a century of military activity.  This included aerial bombardment, naval and submarine attacks, minefields and ordnance-carrying shipwrecks.

Research was undertaken into the extent of historic and modern-day training areas, accounting for different types of ordnance and operational histories.  Efforts were also made to find UXO clearance records for areas of training and historical minefields that might mitigate the potential UXO hazard.

Using archival documents and historical hydrographic charts to inform the assessment, Zetica’s thorough and in-depth research was able to zone the UXO hazard level on the site, confidently identifying areas of more and less significant hazard.

A UXO risk register was compiled, concisely identifying different UXO hazard zones and outlining the risk mitigation requirements for each aspect of construction.

Prior to the development of a new port Facility in the Falkland Islands, Zetica was commissioned to undertake a detailed UXO risk assessment to identify potential hazards effecting the works.

We approached the project with the same tenacity as with any site in Britain.  In addition to records stored in Britain, our researchers identified and reviewed archival material held by repositories in the Falklands.

Unlike most of our projects, there was little WWI or WWII history to discuss.  Instead our attention was focused on the 1982 Falklands Conflict.

As such, we were able to draw on the experiences and memories of our Explosive Ordnance Clearance (EOC) engineers, some of whom served in country during the conflict.  Their perspective provided a valuable addition to our interpretation of the available records.

Our research identified bomb and missiles strikes in the vicinity of the site, as well as anti-aircraft positions, minefields and other strategic targets.  Despite this, no positive source of UXO hazard was identified on the site, which was consequently assigned a low hazard level.