"Security Depth": Ukraine opens its own page in underwater mine clearance

Representatives of the Ukrainian Demining Agency LLC joined the work of the National Mine Action Conference "Depth of Security", which took place in the Lviv region and became the first platform in Ukraine for a comprehensive discussion of underwater humanitarian demining issues. The event was organized by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine with the support of UNDP and funding from the Republic of Korea.

The conference brought together over 200 participants – representatives of government agencies, international organizations, mine action operators, manufacturers of specialized equipment, experts and scientists.

The key topics of discussion at the panel discussions were modern technologies for demining water areas, environmental approaches, issues of equipment certification, personnel training, and the creation of national standards for underwater demining.

The participants of the event had the opportunity to evaluate innovative developments of foreign and domestic manufacturers for the detection, identification and neutralization of explosive objects under water. At a special testing ground, in real conditions, we saw underwater autonomous drones and robotic systems in operation; 3D sonars for bottom visualization; surface platforms for monitoring and supporting operations; underwater metal detectors; active sounding systems; the Gulfstream platform; the Deep Trekker drone; the BR1 autonomous vehicle.

A demonstration of a diver's work in conditions as close as possible to real underwater mine clearance scenarios made a special impression. And we were once again convinced of how high the risks for people remain and how important it is to introduce innovative technologies and remote robotic systems in working with explosive objects. After all, safety is a key priority.

Summing up the conference, it was decided to continue further work in the format of round tables and interdepartmental working groups, which will work together to address challenges in the field of underwater mine clearance.

We have a lot of work ahead of us, and we are ready to actively participate in developing proposals for the creation of a National Standard for Underwater Mine Clearance.

Thank you for the invitation and the high level of organization of the event, the Main Department of Mine Action, Civil Protection and Environmental Safety of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

For our team, as one of the certified mine action operators, including the process of demining water areas, participation in this large-scale event was extremely important. The conference gave us the opportunity not only to immerse ourselves in modern technological solutions and discuss key standards, but also to establish new partnerships, strengthen interaction with government agencies, scientists and international organizations.