Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction

Volume 5 Issue 1 The Journal of Mine Action Article 24

April 2001

Koch Mine Safe and the Cordon Sanitaire Clearance Program

Henry Thompson RHS Associates

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Recommended Citation Thompson, Henry (2001) "Koch Mine Safe and the Cordon Sanitaire Clearance Program," Journal of Mine Action : Vol. 5 : Iss. 1 , Article 24. Available at: https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol5/iss1/24

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Asia & the Pacific Koch Mine Safe and the Cordon Sanitaire

Koch Mine Safe and the Cordon After passing the technical pre­ qualification, Koch Mine Safe (KMS) Schematic Diagram of Mine Fields - NOT TO SCALE won the contract with the lowest bid. Sanitaire Clearance Program MOZAMBIQUE And while Koch couldn't provide a Game fence performance guarantee, it was Through the work of Koch GmbH and Mine-Tech, the 359 km-long Cordon Sanitaire successful in finding backing for •••••••• • • • • ...... deployment from a major Dutch Cordon Sanitaire ••,__,e.--e... -4ehe-•• ... -4H._ __ __,__.--..----1•• in Zimbabwe is being demined in one of the first humanitarian demining efforts of salvage and dredging company, Royal • •• • • • • • • its kind. Boskalis Westminster NY, a group that • • • • • • ••••••••••• owned the German subsidiary Game fence By HenryThompson,RHS the Zimbabwean Ministry of Defence companies to bid with a fixed price. company Heinrich Hirdes GmbH, an Associates handled financial control and Six companies expressed interest EOD company. The QA contract was contractual issues. The invitation to in performing the clearance. Mine­ issued to BacTec. Background tender was issued in late 1997, and was Tech was one of the companies comprised of two contracts: main allowed to bid-an unusual action for The Cordon Sanitaire n 1993, the European Union works (clearance) and quality a company that performed the initial (EU) funded a survey of the assurance (QA). survey. The bidding companies were The Cordon Sanitaire mine field I Cordon Sanitaire in Zimbabwe, This was one of the humanitarian allowed to visit the mine field at the consisted of a 25 m-wide strip of a series of six border mine ground laid with three rows of blast fields covering 766 km. The AP mines at a density around 5,500 Service track contract for the survey was mines per kilometer. The mine field won by the mine clearance was fenced on both sides by a game NGO Mine-Tech, who had fence of three strands of steel wire ZIMBABWE three months to perform the supported on thin steel posts set in 1 concrete and was cleared ofvegetation. survey in late 1994. Mine­ c/o Henry Thompson Tech did not survey all of the The bottom strand held a thin wire mine fields because the fields mesh game fence. Also attached to the and a major portion of the fence was an intruder alarm system protected each mine. The mine density he Clearance Operation adjacent service road had not linked to control points rhat fed in this field was around 100 seen maintenance for two information to patrol teams. By 1997, fragmentation mines and 300 buried KMS planned to deploy its decades. However, maps were virtually all the fencing had been blast mines per kilometer. The rows clearance operation in October 1998, available at the Zimbabwean removed by local people or had were unevenly spaced and the but it actually deployed six months late Army Engineer's Head­ disintegrated. Three lanes of mines vegetation was not cleared, so the mine at Mukumbura in March 1999. The quarters at Pomona Barracks, were laid using knotted ropes. Within field contained substantial trees and mine clearance outfit experienced and Mine-Tech completed the three rows, patterns were only dense thorn bush. The field was problems assembling manual teams the survey and handed over discernable over short distances. The subject to a great deal of in-filling and because the available pool of the final report. The report majority of mines in rhe Cordon randomly spaced APLs, and had a experienced deminers in Zimbabwe included maps, diagrams and Saniraire were the South African service track running behind and was minimal, meaning KMS had to a broad assessment of the problems demining industry's first major Mukumbura end for two days under R2M2 and the Portuguese M969. The parallel to it to allow patrolling and do more training than anticipated. As and difficulties in clearance. While the contracts offered to international the supervision of the Ministry of Italian VS50 was also laid. Due to maintenance. Amazingly, the Cordon a result, there is now a small outflow report also contained some significant competition for a project of this scale. Defence, but high vegetation hid breaches of the mine field and animal Sanitaire was even found to run up to of KMS-trained deminers joining inaccuracies, it did present a broad The issues of assuming risk and the much of the visible detail within the incursions, there was a good level of 8 km into neighboring Mozambique other companies. Also, in March, overview of the mine fields. disclosure of information were not mine field. Four companies (Mine­ in-filling with more random patterns -indicating the hasty nature of its Alistair Craib gained control of the Ofa ll mine fields, the top priority fully explored. The Zimbabwe Tech, Koch GmbH, Royal Ordnance and different landmines. deployment. demining operation from Patrick was a 359 km-long one in the Ministry of Defence, as the client, and Mineclear) then presented The Cordon Sanitaire was backed Under its contract, KMS was Blagden and made his first visit to the northeastern corner of Zimbabwe. To provided the bidding companies with technical accreditation and bids that for most of irs length by a second restricted to three working teams, project. advise on the tendering process for a very limited information, while the were judged by a technical threshold "ploughshare" mine field containing though mechanical methods were After an initial halt to reassess clearance contract, the EU hired tender documents defined the scope and by price.2 Koch made its bid in three rows of large fragm entation allowed only if the land was manually procedures following some early consultant Patrick Blagden. The of work as the clearance of 10,000,000 partnership with Mine Safe, a mines mounted on pickets one meter checked. The contractor had to ensure accidents, work recommenced in April European Development Fund m 2 of mine-infested land in 18 Zimbabwean company owned by above rhe ground. The fragmentation that environmental damage was 1999, and clearance efforts moved provided funding for the project, while months. It also required the bidding retired Zimbabwean army officers. mines were laid with 30 m tripwires minimal. slowly for four months. Metal and three additional blast mines contamination forced clearance rates

Published by JMU Scholarly Commons, 2001 • 114. 1 Journal of Conventional Weapons Destruction, Vol. 5, Iss. 1 [2001], Art. 24

Asia & the Pacific Koch Mine Safe and the Cordon Sanitaire

Minebuster takes to a mine field. do Andy Smith Mine buster griddle-rack from the rear. do Andy Smith fo llowing a review of SOPs, the field was suitable for mechanically bound in the nylon rollers, so working Grinding teeth and nylon finger 2 assisted clearance, one- third was depth (and forward speed) is parrially to be about 30 m per two-man lane cleared all metal from the center Over half of the accidenrs were practice was abandoned and, hence­ rollers of the per day. By the end of May, eight mined lanes and was encouraged by incurred during excavat ion. The forth, all m ines were destroyed intact. suitable for clearance with following varied according to vegetation. In Minebuster. months into the contract, 0.25 percent the Zimbabwe Ministry of Defence primary cause ofone-th ird of these was One way ofassessing accidents in remediation to reduce erosion and practice, the Mine Collector works c/o Andy Smith of the 10,000,000 m 1 ofland had been and BacTec ro clear all metal, which attributed to m anagement e rror, mine clearance is to look at the density one-third was not suitable for behi nd two orher machines: a cleared. Efforts were then further makes area verification a much simpler notably serious injuries from handling of mines and UXO (based on the fact mechanical clearance. bull dozer that removes trees and slowed by heavy rainfalls, which led task. However, the deminers had mines.5 A total of 20 people were that no mines and n o UXO equals no KMS subsequently purchased a shrubs and a heavy mine-protected to o utbreaks of cholera a n d the u n derest i m a t ed the logistical injured in 18 accidents from February a ccidents) . KMS 's teams were Vei lhaben Minebuster. The 56 ton tractor with steel wheels and a ripper suspension of work by local health difficulties of the operation. The soil 1999 to July 2000. Two of t h e handling very large quantities of machine arrived in Zimbabwe in July, chat loosens soil and breaks up roots. authorities. Due to the force majeure, in winter is very hard, so by July 1999, seriously injured subsequently died in minimum-metal APLs under a broad at whi ch point it was renamed the When running efficiently, the KMS was granted a two- month the manual teams required 7,500 liters the hospital-one from pneumonia range of conditions, including "Mine Collector" and was rested and machine processed 12,000 to 15,000 2 extension to irs 18-month contract. ofwater per day tO water the mine field contracted in recuperation. Only one excavating them from down to 35 evaluated to develop working m of land per day. When following Meanwhile, BacTec had deployed on accident occurred as a result of em-well beyond the depth required parameters SOPs. These procedures the machine, individual deminers 6 2 schedule in October 1998, bur was stepping on a deep-buried mine on by U.N. srandards. were put inro operation in October could process 400 to 500 m per day­ in trouble because irs contract had land nor yet offered for QA. In May 1999, Craib recom­ 1999. Two of the demining teams about 10 times the normal manual rate been negotiated o n the basis of The accidents show a number of mended a change in management. As remained as manual teams working on per person. The Mine Collector ran payment per unit of land verified. clear features: a result, Herman van der Vorm was the ploughshare mine field, and the successfully for a few weeks until the More flaws in KMS's bid and • Only one d eminer was seriously appointed to replace the previous pro­ third ream followed the Mine heavy rains retu rned. The M ine the terms of the contract arose injured while clearing m ines and g ram d irector. The appointment Collector. Collector broke down on a number of early in the process. The dem iners adhering to all Standard Operating proved an immediate success as criti­ The Mine Collector is like a heavy occasions and several frustrating weeks were spending the bulk of their rime Procedures (SOP); cal management decisions were imple­ potatO harvester built around a crawler were spent awaiting spare parts from locat ing false signals fro m pieces of • Nine out of 14 (64 percent) of those mented and efficiency improved rap­ tractor with a heavy mill added before Germany. From March to May 2000, scrap m etal in the mine field.3 T h is before prodding or excavating. KMS injured were back at work with in 10 idly. By August 1999, the project was the lifting and sifting apparatus. This the productivity declined signifi cantly scrap metal came from the remains of also had to build access roads to rhe days of rhe incident; operating productively and safely. In machine can process a 3m-wide swath due co downtime. fencing and rubbish fo und in the mine mine field. T he M ine-Tech survey • The two fatalities both occurred off­ September 1999, KMS a lso intro­ down to a depth of 50 em. Soil is field. T he demining company had document (and subsequently the sire and under medical care; and duced alcohol (Breathalyzer) and d rug m ixed up by a carbide-toothed grinder roductivity originally estimated the level of Ministry of Defence c ontrac t) • N o one was killed or injured by a resting and a pay increase. and deposited onto a set of three large contamination at one false alarm per specified that there was a service track ploughshare fragmentation mine (no nylon-finger rollers char break up clods In February 2000, 17 months 20 m 2 and had worked this estimation running about 50 m behind the m ine ploughshare mines were found intact Mechanical Clearance of earth and separate our solids from into the 18 month contract, the KMS into its bid. In reality, though, it was field. In reality, rhe track was between with detonatOrs). loose soil that escapes through the management team looked at its finding up to 30 signals per sq uare 300m and 1.7 km from the m ine field Soon after deployment in March rollers. Any solid items such as stones, prospects. The reams had cleared less meter in close proximity co fence and no longer existed in certain areas. Two of the serious handling 1999, KMS explored the potential for roots and mines are deposited on a than one-third of the contract area (2.6 2 li nes.4 incidents were partly the result of m ine mechan ical clearance and slatted conveyor that deposits them million m ou r of a total of I 0 million 2 T he contract does nor specify iafety neutralization (taking the deconaror commissioned an environmental back on the surface some 7 m behind m ). The need for a contract extension clearance of all metal bur requires out of the mine casing), a p rocedure impact assessment of m echanical the front mill. Mines and UXO are became obvious. Luckily, the EU and the Zimbabwe M inistry of Defence clearance to U.N. standards of 99.6 KMS was also strongly criticized that was specified as a SOP under the cl earance of t he Cord on Sanitaire left on the surface, ready for the percem of mines rem oved down ro a for a high accident rate. From March initial contract. More than 4,000 mine field. T he study concluded that manual teams. It was found that roots agreed to extend the company's depth of 20 em . In p ractice, KMS w June 1999, 12 accidents occurred. mines were d isarmed in ch is way, bur approximately o ne-third of the mine of some trees would be picked up and conrracr to February 200 l. https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/cisr-journal/vol5/iss1/24 • 116 . • 117 . 2 Thompson: Koch Mine Safe and the Cordon Sanitaire Clearance Program

Asia & the Pacific

Comparative densities ofmines and UXO in clearance operations in the region: Mine Detection Dogs At Work Region Square meters Mines/UXO removed Square meters continued from page 87 per mine/UXO Koch Mine Safe 3,809,281 65,185 58 NPA, Songo, Cabora Bassa 738,180 12,072 6 1 the [dogs') ability to detect plastic deployment in Bosnia-Herzegovina Mechem, Massingir 89,634 349 467 mines when metal detectors are and Croatia. Marrin Weitkamp, Mechem, Corrunana Dam 1,700,000 3,600 472 ineffective is even more important." direcror ofM-Detect, said MODs are Mozambican average 1,5 00 - 2,500 The Global Training Academy "an important parr of the international has the capacity to train 30-36 dogs demining roolbox" if used as quality Source: Mechem, NPA Mozambique, Quarterly Report 4th Qtr, 1999, Koch-Mine Safe, IND, Maputo. per year in mine detection. In 200 I, assurance in unknown areas. 18 dogs will be trained for deployment Weitkamp adds that dogs should not be used in a known mine field in place 2 in Lebanon, Oman and Thailand. In Working under extended hours, KMS cleared 421,000 m • By mid-July :ontact Information addition, the Academy currently has of deminers or demining machinery the mechanical team was capable of 2000, the team had cleared a total of dog teams working in ten countries: bur in unknown areas where sweeping bringing the company up to between 3,809,281 m 2 of land and 65,185 Henry Thompson the fields with an MOD is faster and 2 2 Mozambique, Rwanda, Bosnia, Costa 6.5 to 7.5 million m of land by mines- one mine per 58 m • By any RHS Associates Ltd. Rica, Honduras, Nicaragua, Croatia, more efficient. February 2001. The Mine Collector standards, the current safety record of 33 Ludlow Way Namibia, Thailand and Afghanistan. processes 20,000 m 2 of ground per KMS is exceptional considering the Finchley London N20JZ T hese dog teams often work with the Contact Information • The training period ends with day, and the manual team covers conditions. Tel: 44-208-444-3496 host country's military 1n m1ne Martin Weitkamp, Director MDD leading the trainer. around 12,000 to 12,500 m2 per day, • No "missed mines" have been reported Fax: 44-208-883-2399 c/o Martin Weitkamp clearance operations. M-Detect potentially destroying over 1,000 by Bac Tee, which assesses 10 percent of E-mail: [email protected]. uk Munsrersrrasse 13 mines per day. the land cleared. The level of quality Contact Information D-59387 Ascheberg On average (over both mine achieved under these conditions is very Dan Hayrer, Director Germany fields), KMS's teams are lifting and high . • Global Training Academy Tel: +49-2599-92-5207 destroying one mine per 58 m 2 of P.O. Box 445 Fax: +49-2599-92-5295 So merset, TX 78069 E-mail: [email protected] "KMS was also strongly criticized for a high accident rate. From March to June 1999, Tel: (21 0) 622-9460 Website: http://www.securatec.de 12 accidents occurred. Over half of the accidents were incurred during excavation. The Fax: (830) 429-3122 E-mail: [email protected] Conclusion primary cause of one-third of these was attributed to management error, notably serious 5 injuries from handling mines. " M-Detect MODs are an effective means for mine clearance operations worldwide. M-Detect, a mine dog training With proper training from mine dog ground. In the Cordon Sanitaire mine eferences facility in Germany, specializes in companies and organizations, MODs field, this broad average rises to one 1 training MODs for mine detection employed in mine-infested countries mine per 20m2• The mechanical team Chris Pearce, Director, Mine-Tech, Interview operations in mine-affected countries. return successful results. Their driven working in the center of the Cordon in Johannesburg, June 6, 2000. 2 Alistair Craib, EU and Zimbabwe Ministry Each year, M-Derect trains and success continues ro be an asset to Sanitaire clears one mine per 12 m2 of Defence Consultant, Interview Feb. 6, 2000. deploys approximately eighr dogs. countries in rimes of need. • on average-spot densities can be more 3 Koch-Mine Safe was using Vallon detectors, This year, MODs are being trained for than double this figure. fine German detectors capable of h igh Two things characterize the sensitivity- but more complex to use than current clearance program: many comparable models. The QA tearn was using British Guartel MD8 detectors, a robust and simple model. • The high density ofmines and number 4 Temba Kanganga, Mine Safe, Depury Project ofmines being cleared. In June 2000, Manager. The Road Forward: Humanitariart Mine Cleamnce in Southern Africa. SAIIA Johannesburg, August 6, 2000. 5 Data from Andy Smith, DD!V database, April 6, 2000.

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