TECNOSUB EOD Team training at MAT Kosovo

TECNOSUB is one of the most important and longest-standing commercial diving companies in Spain. Founded in 1974, it has carried out diving operations internationally for more than 40 years now, in countless countries from the west coast of Africa to the north of the Caspian Sea.

Although TECNOSUB started as an expert in marine salvage, a parallel business line dedicated to offshore operations in the oil and gas sector was added early on, making TECNOSUB the first and still the only fully Spanish-owned company within IMCA, the International Maritime Contractor Association.

Due to booming demand in the offshore sector, TECNOSUB has had large-scale involvement for several years in inspection and clearance operations of UXOs/AXOs (Unexplode Ordnance/Abandoned Ordnance) and has a dedicated team of divers for these tasks specifically.

By its own conviction and as a member of the IMCA diving division, safety and quality in TECNOSUB operations are the first priority, and significant resources are allocated for best-in-class equipment, developing procedures, and of course ongoing training of staff.

Until now, our EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) team consisted of divers with extensive experience yet with a large variety of different skills: diving supervisors, diver medics, skippers, dive system technicians, underwater demolition experts, EORs (explosive ordnance reconnaissance), etc. While their diving training was standardised across all personnel, their EOD training tended to be somewhat diverse across the staff, the common denominator being the most of our EOD divers are either former amphibian sappers from the Spanish Armed Forces at the Engineers Corps or specialised in civil underwater demolitions. This led to a lack of standardisation in EOD skills and certifications and in particular some difficulties in coordinating work with personnel from other countries.

The International Mine Action Standards (IMAS), issued and kept current by UNMAS, the United Nations Mine Action Service, are the obvious solution to this problem. UNMAS, funded by the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations, specialises in coordinating and implementing activities to limit the risks and dangers currently presented by the massive number of mines, explosives remnants of war and IEDs. IMAS standards are widely recognised across the industry and are mandatory in all United Nations demining and clearance operations. Beyond IMAS as a standard to design a standard capabilities and certifications regime within TECNOSUB’s staff, there is of course still a need to perform a Gap Analysis in each operation to detect and adapt to, the different legal requirements of each country when facing maritime EOD operations.

With the solution identified, TECNOSUB went on to search for the right facilities and manpower to carry out its training plan, and a reputable organisation to do the certification to a standard accepted by the industry worldwide. This is where MAT Kosovo comes into play.

MAT Kosovo is a civilian EOD school, located in Peja, Western Kosovo and was chosen by TECNOSUB for several reasons:

• A proven track record and extensive experience in the delivery of humanitarian mine action and explosive ordnance disposal, humanitarian IED clearance and risk management services in areas recovering from conflict.
• Training programs delivered in support of governments, the United Nations and to major NGOs and private companies worldwide.
• All training delivered, and all assessments and certifications made in accordance and compliance with international Mine Action Standards (IMAS)
• Bespoke tailoring of training programs
• Training with a wide range of live ammunitions and inert targets, including a very comprehensive array of actual ordnance but free-from-explosives
• The ability to stage diverse real-life scenarios for live fire exercises
• Multinational and highly experienced instructors
• The business has ISO certification
• And last but definitely not least, MAT Kosovo boasts a 100% safety record in the industry. MAT Kosovo has never had a landmine or UXO related incident involving any of its staff or any indirectly supervised staff or candidate.

From the first contact between TECNOSUB and MAT Kosovo there was a mutual understanding, and soon the objectives were set for the bespoke training of TECNOSUB divers which would, on the one hand, be tailored to TECNOSUB but on the other still include the full IMAS EOD level 3 accreditation upon passing the required practical and theoretical tests as per IMAS standards for level 3.

Level 3 course material and exercises are focused on the LSA (land service ammunition) and ADW (air-dropped weapons), leaving for future courses the specialisation in naval ordnance and the maritime part of EOD level Lv.3+. This may seem counter-intuitive given that TECNOSUB is a company dedicated to commercial diving, but the vast majority of ERWs (explosive remnants of war) found at the bottom of the sea belong to both the LSA and ADW groups, either because the ships or planes carrying ordnance sank with them inside, or because they were deliberately dumped into the sea once the conflict was over, or simply because they were fired over the sea and did not function as intended. Naval ordnance is less numerous and much more specific, and TECNOSUB often relies on collaboration agreements with subject matter experts and specialised personnel from different Navy Forces from all around the world with extensive experience in dealing with this type of naval ordnance.

The two courses attended by TECNOSUB staff took place in 2018, the last one being held in November in which different practices and exercises were conducted in shallow water areas like lakes and rivers (localisation, recognition and render safe procedures). All the personnel involved in the exercises, from MAT’s instructors to TECNOSUB’s divers put their utmost effort and enthusiasm into getting realistic, practical quality training.

Despite the harsh weather conditions with temperatures close to 0°C and the surface of the lake frozen in the mornings, everyone enjoyed and took advantage of every exercise up to the last minute, largely thanks to the excellent organization and services provided by MAT Kosovo where there never lacked a good cup of coffee or hot tea, and there was always a more than suitable lunch available.

The theory classes and non-live fire exercises that take place in the school enjoy the support of a substantial number of additional resources, from audiovisual media to a huge repertoire of inert land service ammunitions, airdropped weapons, improvised explosive devices and even some modern naval bottom mines. In addition, there are also practice minefields, detector areas, reconnaissance circuits, explosives detection dogs, workshops, etc. All this helps the theoretical part of the training to be carried out in an organised and relaxed manner making the acquisition of knowledge much more effective.

Given that the school offers full in-house accommodation, the students took advantage of their free time for daily homework and studies, with rooms equipped with adequate work tables and a Wi-Fi fast enough to assist them with their tasks and to stay in touch with their families throughout the course. At this point, we cannot forget the EOD “Gagged Grenade” cafe, a small bar in the school where you can have a beer, play darts and listen to good music to free the mind from so much studying.

The prevailing sentiment of all TECNOSUB students who have been through MAT Kosovo, is that even though the course is very well organized and the materials are adapted to the duration of the course, the level of knowledge required is very high, and one cannot miss a single day or miss devoting two or three hours of study later in the day to be able to approach the final exam with confidence.

Finally, TECNOSUB students surpassed the practical exercises to the utmost satisfaction of the MAT Kosovo instructors and they achieved a score of over 90% in the written exams, which we consider an outstanding result consistent with their degree of involvement and hard work, making TECNOSUB management feel, once again, proud and grateful for the personnel that forms and gives life to the Company.

In brief, TECNOSUB has found in MAT Kosovo the right partner for the training and the homogenization of all its personnel dedicated to underwater EOD duties through bespoke courses. With international recognition and exceptional quality, we can undoubtedly say that MAT Kosovo leads the way in civilian EOD training.

Arturo Villazón Granda
CEO
TECNOSUB

Students comments:

TEXT: “I can only say good things about the school and the crew, my knowledge has improved much more than I could imagine.”
D. Amor, Mix gas/Closed Bell Diver, DMT, EOD Lv.3

TEXT: “The day I decide to sign up at MAT Kosovo, as an EOD student was a good choice.”
R. Johnson, Mix gas/Closed Bell Diver, DMT, EOD LV.3

TEXT: “ It was an enriching experience in a good work environment and with very professional staff.”
A. Rodriguez, Air Diver, Underwater Demolition Specialist, EOD LV.3

TEXT: “A recommendable and very didactic experience.”
B. Bueno, Air Diver, EOR, EOD Lv.3

TEXT: “At the beginning of the course I thought I would not be able to retain all that information, but the way they teach, step by step allows you to achieve the targets.”
M.A. Cortes, Air Diver, Dive Technician, DMT, EOD Lv.3

TEXT: “That was very demanding for me but essential for our work.”
P. Aranda, Air Diver, EOD Lv.3

TEXT: “Hungry for more specialization courses at MAT Kosovo.”
M. Tejero, Air Diver, EOD Lv.3

TEXT: “High-level practices under strict safety measures, I will repeat without a doubt.”
M. Daurat, Air Diver, Skipper, EOD Lv.3