International Dialogue on Underwater Munitions

06/10/2026

13/09/2026

GOOD NEWS: The energetic threat was gone. But for the marine environment, that raises another question: where did it go? For years, residents and children on the Isle of Eigg thought this large object on Laig Beach was simply an old buoy. Children played around it. Beach fires and barbecues were held nearby. It was eventually identified as a World War II sea mine.

The Navy Explosive Ordnance Disposal team initially feared that its apparently intact casing could contain approximately 300 pounds of high explosives. But when the mine was examined, they discovered something remarkable: The casing was full of sand — not explosives. Fortunately, the immediate energetic threat was gone. But this incident illustrates a much larger question that we need to ask about the millions of tonnes of legacy mu*****ns in our seas:

When the explosive material is no longer inside a mu****on, where did its chemical constituents go?

Decades underwater do not simply make the environmental problem disappear. Mu****on casings corrode. Explosive compounds can enter surrounding water and sediments, and scientific research has demonstrated the uptake of mu****on-related energetic compounds by marine organisms. This is why we must stop looking at underwater mu*****ns solely as an explosive safety problem. They are also a marine pollution problem. And it is why waiting indefinitely is not a solution.

Remove the weapons and, where removal can be carried out safely and responsibly, we remove the continuing source of pollution. There is another lesson here. When a mu****on must be dealt with, we should also be moving away from routine underwater blast-in-place disposal wherever safer and environmentally responsible alternatives are available. Detonation can eliminate an immediate explosive hazard, but research has demonstrated that underwater blast-in-place operations can also introduce unreacted energetic compounds into the marine environment.

Removing the energetic threat must not come at the expense of the marine ecosystem we are trying to protect. This is the transition we need: From detection → to assessment → to environmentally responsible remediation. And ultimately: From decades of STUDY → to SOLUTIONS → to ACTION.

That is at the heart of the work of the International Dialogues on Underwater Mu*****ns (IDUM) and UN Ocean Action #21356. Our oceans should not remain the final resting place for the weapons of past wars — or the pollution they leave behind.
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11/09/2026

For decades, scientists, governments and international organizations have studied the consequences of sea-dumped conventional and chemical mu*****ns.

That scientific work has been essential. It has helped us understand corrosion, explosive compounds, chemical agents, contamination pathways and impacts on marine ecosystems.

But there comes a point when continued study must lead to ACTION — providing Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) operators with the science, technologies, resources, funding and environmentally responsible methods needed to safely remediate underwater mu*****ns in real time.

After decades of global research, we cannot allow scientific uncertainty to become the justification for another study, followed by another study, while the sources of contamination remain on the seabed and their contaminants are increasingly being detected in marine life.

Our oceans cannot wait indefinitely for action. These mu*****ns continue to corrode and can release toxic constituents into the marine environment. They do not sleep. They do not recognize borders. For too long, they have simply remained “out of sight, out of mind.”

Remove the weapons and, where removal can be carried out safely and responsibly, we remove the continuing source of pollution.

There is also one practice that I believe the international community must urgently work to end:

Stop blowing up — or detonating — mu*****ns in our seas as a routine disposal response.

Underwater detonation can create powerful shock waves and can disperse explosive residues and contaminants into the surrounding marine environment. The consequences can extend beyond the mu****on itself to marine mammals, fish, seabed habitats and the wider ecosystem.

Destroying a mu****on underwater does not make its environmental consequences disappear.

We need to move from study to action — and from routine underwater detonation toward safer, science-based technologies for detection, assessment, recovery, containment and environmentally responsible disposal.

This is one of the reasons we continue advancing UN Ocean Action #21356 and the international work of the International Dialogues on Underwater Mu*****ns (IDUM).

The science has given us knowledge.

Now that knowledge must give us solutions — and those solutions must become ACTION.

Watch the video below and consider what the next generation should inherit from us:

Another catalogue of what lies beneath the sea — or evidence that we finally acted to remove it?

One the side events of the 3rd review conference of the CWC

19/08/2026

IDUM is working to build a global map of underwater mu*****ns sites and mu*****ns wrecks. If you have photographs, coordinates - locations, historical information, or firsthand knowledge of mu*****ns sites/wrecks please share them with us. You can post the information here or send it to my inbox. Every confirmed location helps us build a better global picture of the legacy of underwater mu*****ns and supports research, awareness, environmental protection and safer oceans. International Dialogues on Underwater Mu*****ns (IDUM)

16/03/2026

“Strengthening Ocean Protection and Fisheries Through Innovation and Sustainability”
We respectfully encourage Premier Tim Houston and the Government of Nova Scotia to consider including the infrastructure funding for this Centre in the provincial budget so that Nova Scotia can realize this opportunity for innovation, investment, and long-term ocean stewardship.
For more than 15 years, many people in Nova Scotia have worked to attract international science, technology, and investment through the creation of a Science and Technology Centre focused on protecting our oceans while addressing legacy underwater military mu*****ns located in Nova Scotia waters.
A portion of the $824 million transferred from the federal government to Nova Scotia included funding intended for infrastructure to support this initiative. The proposal has also received recognition endorsements from the National Research Council Canada and United Nations Ocean Actions.
This initiative represents a unique opportunity to position Nova Scotia as a global focal point for ocean science, environmental protection, fisheries sustainability, and innovation, while addressing legacy mu*****ns sites and strengthening protection of our marine environment and local economy.

11/03/2026

Open Letter to the Premier of Nova Scotia
Protecting Our Oceans, Our Fisheries, and Our Future
Dear Premier Huston,
I am writing you again in this open letter because a significant opportunity for our province—one that would position Nova Scotia as a global leader in ocean protection and marine science—is at risk of being lost in the current provincial budget.
The National Research Council of Canada (NRC) identified our work and expertise in underwater mu*****ns as nationally significant, and correspondence from the federal government indicated that a portion of the more than $800 million in federal funding transferred to Nova Scotia could support the infrastructure to establish an Innovative Science and Technology Centre in Nova Scotia dedicated to addressing mu*****ns in the marine environment.
Unfortunately, despite years of work, international partnerships, and personal investment to bring this opportunity to Nova Scotia, the funding necessary to build this centre has not appeared in the provincial budget. I believe the people of Nova Scotia deserve to understand this opportunity and why it is important that the government reconsider it as the budget is revisited.
Over the past fifteen years, our colleagues invested hundreds of thousands of dollars of our own resources developing international programs focused on the environmental risks posed by sea-dumped mu*****ns. Our project received federal investment from ECBC/ACOA for the development of the business plan. Our efforts have included:
• Chairman, Expert Panel on Sea Dumped Chemical Weapons, Centre for Disease Control (CDC), Atlanta, Georgia
• Special Remarks in European Parliament on “Unexploded mu*****ns and chemical residues in the sea, while searching for lasting and economically viable solutions”
• host eight international documentaries that highlight Nova Scotia’s leadership
• host seven international dialogues on underwater mu*****ns, two in Halifax and one in Sydney, US and Europe
• host NATO Science for Peace and Security Directors’ meeting in Halifax, which brought international delegations and investment from several countries
• host NATO Science for Peace and Security - Summer School on Sea Dumped Chemical Weapons at Nova Scotia Community College, Dartmouth Campus
• deployed Nova Scotianers to the Baltic Sea to investigate underwater mu*****ns.
National and international recognition:
The Hague OPCW Award, recognizing contributions to advancing the objectives of the Chemical Weapons Convention and the global elimination of chemical weapons; the Royal Canadian Mint’s Ocean 2020 Legacy Coin, awarded in recognition of leadership nationally and at United Nations for Ocean Protection; nomination for the 2023 Prince’s Trust Canada Veteran Entrepreneur Award, which recognizes veterans whose leadership and innovation continue to serve the public beyond military service; the Special Editor’s Award from the Marine Technology Society (MTS) Journal for advancing scientific and policy dialogue on the legacy of underwater mu*****ns; and the Coin of the Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Army, for exceptional leadership in building international cooperation on environmental security and dialogue.
Our vision has always been clear:
Nova Scotia can become the global focal point for coordinating underwater mu*****ns activities that is endorsed by the United Nations Security Council.
The proposed Innovative Science and Technology Centre would create:
• scientific and technical jobs
• research opportunities for young Nova Scotians with international bodies
• international partnerships with universities, NATO programs, and ocean institutions
• global scientific conferences hosted in Nova Scotia
• opportunity for colleges and universities to cooperate on marine programs
The issue of underwater mu*****ns is not distant or theoretical. Across the North Atlantic—they are in our waters including the Bras d’Or Lake. Dumped at sea for decades during and after the World Wars, including mu*****ns wrecks, undersea torpedo and bombing ranges. These mu*****ns are now corroding on the seabed impacting on our marine environment.
Scientific research has shown that:
• more than 1000’s Nova Scotia offshore mu*****ns sites and mu*****ns wrecks
• explosive compounds such as TNT leach toxins into marine ecosystems
• mustard gas breaking down into inorganic arsenic killing all in its wake
• these substances can negatively affect plankton, shellfish, and fish reproduction
• our investigations identified tumors, cancers, extra potential fish diseases, stress on the kidneys and livers, and the inability for juvenal COD fish to reproduce
Our cooperation with international institutions and bodies:
• United Nations Resolution: “Cooperative measures on sea dumped chemical mu*****ns”, UN Second Committee on Sustainable Development
• Observer HELCOM Commission for Protection of the Baltic Sea
• Observer OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the North-East Atlantic Oceans
• Observer International Seabed Authority (ISA) for Law of the Sea
• Accredited United Nations ocean initiatives supporting Sustainable Development Goal 14 – Life Below Water and Ocean 2030 Goals.
• Associated Partner and Co-Director for CHEMSEA – Search and Assessment of Chemical Weapons – 4 years
• Partner and Co-Director - NATO Science for Peace and Security MODUM – 4 years
• Partner and Co-Director – DAIMON – Decision Aids for marine Mu*****ns – 4 years
From a personal reflection, I was always taught that if you work hard, invest in your province, and build opportunities for your community, your province will stand behind that mission. For fifteen years we have done exactly that — investing our time, resources, and reputation in the belief that Nova Scotia would embrace the opportunity to lead the world in protecting our oceans.
How can we say we are committed to protecting our marine environment if we are unwilling to invest in solutions? The proposed centre is an opportunity:
• take positive ocean actions to protect our fisheries
• create science and technology jobs
• attract international research and investment and host annual conferences
• position Nova Scotia as a world leader in ocean protection.
Premier Houston, I recognize that budgets require difficult decisions and careful prioritization. However, given the environmental, economic, and scientific opportunities associated with Ocean Action #21356, I respectfully ask that your government reconsider support for this initiative as the provincial budget is revisited. Nova Scotia has a unique opportunity to become the global centre for addressing underwater mu*****ns and protecting marine ecosystems that will bring increase in economy activities and future annual revenues for the provincial budget and contribute to the local economy. Supporting this initiative would create jobs, strengthen our fisheries, and bring international investment and recognition to Nova Scotia.
The oceans have defined Nova Scotia for generations. With the right leadership and investment, they can also define our sustainable future.
Terrance P. Long CD

Chair & CEO
International Dialogues on Underwater Mu*****ns (IDUM)
1-902-577-9439
www.underwatermu*****ns.org
https://www.linkedin.com/in/terrance-terry-p-long-6b59829/

20/02/2026

Child finds “self igniting orange stone” on the beach in The Netherlands. Underwater Mu*****ns still dangerous.