James Fisher Marine Services* has been praised by Costain for the completion of a five month specialist unexploded ordnance (UXO) survey campaign at the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station project.

The five-month UXO campaign worth £5 million saw James Fisher Marine Services’ (JFMS’)* subsea division provide a turnkey solution to safely survey, identify and dispose of any UXO identified at Hinkley Point C, located in Somerset, UK. This was to ensure the site was free from UXO risks prior to the construction of the seawater cooling system by Costain, and followed a similar UXO campaign conducted at Hinkley Point by JFMS in 2015, whereby 34 potential UXO targets were located and inspected.

The challenge

• While conducting the intricate and potentially dangerous work, the team had to be mindful that all potential UXO targets were investigated and disposed of in accordance with stringent regulations and statutory requirements
• Difficult conditions such as strong tidal waters and murky conditions meant that the team had to work with limited visibility

The solution

• JFMS provided a team of well-trained and experienced professionals to deliver the campaign with the aid of world-leading technology and equipment
• Specialist tooling was used to beam images to the surface team, which was able to positively identify the UXO

The results and benefits

• In total, 120 underwater objects were investigated and the team safely identified five World War II bombs among the metal debris, including two 250lb bombs and one 500lb bomb
• The team worked closely with the Royal Navy to ensure the safe and controlled disposal of the identified UXO
• The JFMS Subsea team played a critical role in helping to ensure the subsea environment was UXO free and safe to operate in, with Costain’s senior engineer, Matthew Friedlander-Moseley, praising its ‘high level of professionalism
• Following its work at Hinkley Point C, the JFMS subsea team was voted ‘best construction and erection supplier 2017’ by EDF Energy at its HPC excellence awards

*A James Fisher Subtech legacy brand