Underwater mines disposal

Mines represent the majority of these threats since their objective is to at least damage ships, at most to sink or destroy them completely.

Yet there are also remnant bombs dropped during World War II, not to mention those dropped during more recent conflicts. They become a threat when found at the bottom of a harbour or in a fishing area since their explosive material can still be active despite decades spent in seawater; they may also have become unstable over time, which makes them potentially even more dangerous.

Though it is a complex matter to detect remnant underwater mines and ammunition1 lying on the bottom of an ocean, it is equally complex to have sea divers destroy them due to environmental constraints (e.g. sea currents, water depths, etc.) and to the effects of any underwater explosion.

This led naval forces and the industry worldwide to develop systems designed to reduce the risks associated with neutralising such threats while optimising the effectiveness of such disposal operations, i.e. destroying the largest possible number of threats in the shortest possible time.