Subsea works, underwater UXO clearance and hyperbaric operations.
SEMTEC, the subsea subsidiary of DEMINETEC Group, brings underwater inspection, marine UXO clearance and hyperbaric works expertise to the port and industrial community of Bruges (Belgium). Our Class II commercial divers — certified under French Decree 2011-45 (hyperbaric class B) and trained to NEDEX/EOD standards — operate on harbours, marine structures, ships' hulls and coastal areas contaminated by 20th-century conflicts.
Bruges (Brugge) and its outport Zeebrugge sit on one of the most pyrotechnically contaminated coastlines in Europe. Throughout World War I, the German Marinekorps Flandern turned Bruges into a major U-boat and destroyer base, triggering British coastal raids — most famously the Zeebrugge Raid of 23 April 1918 — and intense Royal Navy artillery bombardment of the harbour and inland canals.
The North Sea and Flemish coast remain dotted with WWI and WWII naval mines, depth charges and aerial bombs. The Belgian Navy DOVO/SEDEE units recover hundreds of munitions every year from the seabed off Zeebrugge, while the inland West Flanders battlefields (Ypres salient, Diksmuide) continue to yield the so-called 'iron harvest' of WWI shells.
Bruges itself was liberated on 12 September 1944 by the Canadian 4th Armoured Division during the Scheldt campaign. Port expansion projects, offshore wind-farm cabling and dredging operations in the Belgian Exclusive Economic Zone routinely require underwater UXO surveys and risk-management studies.
In-water survey by qualified divers, ultrasonic thickness through paint, 3D photogrammetry, IACS-class survey report for calls at Bruges.
Magnetometer and gradiometer survey, target identification, controlled neutralisation or recovery in coordination with local authorities.
Wet welding, oxy-arc cutting, underwater concreting, sheet-pile and quay repair.
Refloating of sunken vessels, recovery of submerged plant, crane-assisted lifting operations.
On-site recompression chamber deployment, compliant with French Decree 2011-45 and IMCA D guidance.
In the strategic port of Bruges, SEMTEC mobilises divers, observation ROVs and marine magnetometers to secure basins, jetties, approach channels and anchorages where 20th-century munitions still routinely lie on the seabed.
SEMTEC operates in Bruges and across Belgium from our French bases at La Seyne-sur-Mer (Var) and Wancourt (Pas-de-Calais), our Belgian office in Bruges and our Ukrainian site in Kyiv. Diving spread and naval logistics are mobilised on demand.
Depending on Belgium's history, port seabeds typically conceal sea mines (German EMC, British Mark XVII), submerged aerial bombs (250 kg–500 kg), torpedoes, large-calibre naval shells and depth charges. The preliminary EHT pinpoints the expected typology for Bruges.
Our Class II hyperbaric-class-B divers work to 50 m on air, and we coordinate longer-duration tasks down to 90 m through saturation partners. Observation ROVs extend reconnaissance to 300 m.
A standard UWILD/IWS on a commercial vessel takes 8–24 dive hours depending on hull length, complexity, coating condition and class requirements. SEMTEC issues the class report within 5 days.
Decree 2011-45 governs hyperbaric work in France. Internationally, SEMTEC uses it as a benchmark alongside IMCA D standards and the local regulations applicable in Belgium.
For any survey, inspection or subsea intervention in Bruges, contact our teams:
Tel: +33 (0)9 52 51 00 63
Email: contact@semtec-france.com