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Stabilizing a toxic WWII submarine wreck: monitoring system detects possible mercury contamination
Publikationstyp
Journal Article
Date Issued
2017-02-01
Sprache
English
Author(s)
TORE-URI
Journal
Volume
58
Issue
2
Start Page
23
End Page
26
Citation
Sea Technology 2 (58): 23-26 (2017-02-01)
Publisher
Compass Publ.
The Norwegian Coastal Administration (NCA) in Norway decided to stabilize the wreckage of a German U-864 submarine used in WWII by counterfilling the subsea valley upon whose slope the wreck is resting to prevent sliding of the submarine sections and to cover up and prevent further spreading of the potentially contaminated sediment. As the rock, gravel and sand dumping was likely to stir up potentially contaminated sediment in the area, extensive environmental monitoring accompanying the work was required. Develogic of Hamburg, Germany, was selected as supplier for the real-time environmental monitoring system. To meet these monitoring requirements, develogic delivered a turnkey monitoring system measuring sediment load and ocean current at several levels, as well as potential movement and vibration of the submarine hull due to the impact of the materials that make up the counterfill, together with deployment and operation support services. As part of the U-864 counterfill monitoring project, acoustic Doppler current profilers for monitoring ocean currents and turbidity sensors were installed on a short mooring at 1.5 and 10 m above the seafloor to measure sediment load at these levels. During the baseline measurement period, the ring-type inductive network interconnection was made by ROV. Monitoring and data analysis showed that mercury-contaminated sediment did not spread during the work done to stabilize the wreck.
DDC Class
600: Technik