Yesterday, Thursday 10 March 2022, the Navy completed a delicate operation for the neutralization of a German production mine of the Second World War, containing about 300kg of explosives, in a sea area a short distance from the port of Arenzano (GE).
The activity saw specialized personnel of the Diving Operations Group (GOS) of the Diving and Inshore Pools (COMSUBIN) and minesweeper units Alghero e Termoli, assigned to Command of Mine Countermeasure Forces (MARICODRAG) based in La Spezia.
The reclamation, requested by the prefecture of Genoa, represented the final phase of an articulated operation consisting of several activities which began on February 18 with the location of the bomb at a depth of 45 meters, without anchoring systems and lying on the seabed.
After a careful reconnaissance, initially by means of wire-guided underwater vehicles and subsequently by immersion of the underwater bomb squads of the Navy, the mine dating back to the Second World War was confirmed and identified.
With the contribution of the local Port Authority in the coordination and control actions of the merchant traffic of the affected area, on 08 March the operations to remove the bomb from the bottom began which, with all the necessary precautions, was harnessed and towed to a safety zone, identified by the aforementioned Maritime Authority, about 5 miles from the coast, where on 10 March, through the consolidated procedures aimed at preserving the marine ecosystem, it was neutralized.
The blasting operations were conducted from the Diving Operations Group COMSUBIN, while the two minesweepers remained in the area to participate in the operations, providing technical, medical-health and logistical support even with the hyperbaric chamber they are equipped with, which allows divers to work safely.
