Army tests system to clear munitions from reef

The Army said it will begin a 21-day trial run Monday of a remote-controlled submersible designed to remove discarded military munitions from the ocean floor off the Waianae Coast.

The area called Ordnance Reef is littered with more than 2,000 World War II-era munitions including grenades, bullets, bullet casings and bombs, the Army said.

Officials will use the trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the vehicle to collect munitions, as well as gauge any damage to the reef. If the trial is a success, full-scale removal operations could begin next year.

"I think it’s going to be successful in removing all of that stuff," said Howard Killian, regional environmental coordinator for the Army in Hawaii. "Are we going to please everyone? Probably not, but I do think the community will be satisfied with the amount of effort we’ve put into this."

The Army, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and ARA Inc., an engineering company and government contractor, explained the operation Friday at Ford Island. It uses the submersible to pick up the munitions and equipment on a barge to neutralize them.

A technician on a boat would control the Remotely Operated Underwater Munitions Recovery System using the submersible’s four cameras. The vehicle would be tethered to the boat.

ROUMRS weighs nearly 2,000 pounds and can operate down to 120 feet, officials said. It has two arms with claws, a tray to hold retrieved items and a vacuum to suck up small objects. It is similar to submersibles used by companies that operate offshore oil rigs.

"This project is wonderful and significant because if it can be validated that it’s successful, then we can use it throughout the world," said Hershell E. Wolfe, deputy assistant secretary of the Army for environment, safety and occupational health.

Munitions would be brought to a barge equipped with equipment to destroy the munitions, in most cases by cutting them up and baking them in a specially designed oven to render explosive material inert.

The project has an estimated cost of $2.5 million to $6 million, including the $1 million cost of the submersible.