Skip to Content

Resource hub

Seabed disturbance following high order clearance of unexploded ordnance 2025

Abstract

The purpose of this report is to support regulators, statutory nature conservation bodies (SNCBs) and industry in the UK when considering potential seabed damage from the high order clearance of unexploded ordnance in the marine environment.

Prior to the construction of offshore developments, all sites must be certified as safe and meeting the requirements to reduce the prospective risks associated with unexploded ordnance (UXO) to “As Low As Reasonably Practicable” (ALARP). Health and safety requirements mean that once a geophysical survey anomaly that has been designated as potential UXO (pUXO) has been positively identified and verified as confirmed UXO (cUXO), it must be either relocated and/or disposed of, at the earliest opportunity, to avoid it posing a risk to the project as well as to third-party sea users and the general public.

This report proposes modelling to estimate the size of craters following the high order clearance of UXOs and compares this to post-clearance data provided by eight offshore wind farm developers.

This resource may not be fully accessible for all users. If you need a copy in a different or more accessible format, please contact Communications@jncc.gov.uk.

Resource type Publication

Topic category Environment

Reference date 2025·01·21

Citation
Cooke, S. & Bardwell, R. 2025. Seabed disturbance following high order clearance of unexploded ordnance. JNCC Report 776. JNCC, Peterborough, ISSN 0963-8091.

Lineage
This report was produced for JNCC by 6 Alpha Associates and proposes modelling to estimate the size of craters following the high order clearance of unexploded ordnance.

Responsible organisation
Communications, JNCC publisher

Limitations on public access No limitations

Use constraints Available under the Open Government Licence 3.0

Metadata date 2025·01·23

Metadata point of contact
Communications, JNCC

Back to top