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 Sarajevo (Bosnia and Herzegovina). 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.
Sarajevo endured the longest siege in modern history: 1,425 days from April 1992 to February 1996, during which the Army of Republika Srpska shelled the city from the surrounding hills with an average of 329 shell impacts per day, peaking at over 3,700 on 22 July 1993. Mortars, artillery, modified air bombs, sniper rounds and anti-personnel mines saturated the urban fabric and the front lines on Mount Trebević, Igman and Žuč.
Bosnia and Herzegovina remains one of the most mine-affected countries in Europe. Mine Action Centres (BHMAC) report several thousand square kilometres of confirmed and suspected hazardous areas, with regular casualties. Sarajevo Canton continues to host clearance operations on former confrontation lines, military barracks and along the M-17 corridor.
Sarajevo's reconstruction — Marindvor, Skenderija, Pofalići and Hrasno — together with infrastructure programmes such as the Corridor Vc motorway (Sarajevo bypass) and BiH Railway modernisation, requires integrated pyrotechnic risk management combining anti-personnel mine clearance, UXO disposal and historical desk studies.
Pyrotechnic historical desk study (EHT) and safety study (ESP) for any harbour, river or submerged-works project around Sarajevo.
Magnetometric survey of riverbanks, canals and inland water bodies in the region of Sarajevo.
Technical works in any industrial facility with submerged basins, tanks or pipelines.
Class II/III diver surveys of inland infrastructure: dams, locks, intake structures.
Subsea pyrotechnic audits, owner's-engineering support and training of local crews.
In the strategic port of Sarajevo, 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 Sarajevo and across Bosnia and Herzegovina 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.
Yes. Riverbanks, canals, inland-port basins and reservoirs all fall within our remit. The region of Sarajevo contains submerged sites of pyrotechnic interest linked to 20th-century conflicts.
Yes, through DEMINETEC Group. The parent company handles land areas while SEMTEC addresses submerged structures and wet zones on the same project.
Typically 5–15 working days depending on distance and logistics. For Sarajevo, plan road transport of diving spread, ROV and mobile chamber.
Yes. SEMTEC holds hyperbaric class-B authorisations, MASE certification and works with a referenced hyperbaric occupational-health service.
The Miljacka is a river in Bosnia and Herzegovina flowing generally from east to west through Sarajevo before entering the Bosna River at Bojnik. Its municipalities include Pale, Istočni Stari Grad, Stari Grad, Novo Sarajevo, Novi Grad and Ilidža. The river is formed by the confluence of the Paljanska Miljacka and Mokranjska Miljacka near Bulozi, Stari Grad, at an elevation of 627 metres. From the confluence to the Bosna River, it is 21 kilometres long, with an average discharge of 5.7 cubic metres per second and a minimum discharge of approximately 2.5 cubic metres per second.
The waterway includes Bentbaša dam and 48 river cascades between Šeher-Ćehaja Bridge and the Dolac Malta suburb bridge. Sarajevo has numerous crossings, including historic bridges, modern bridges and several unnamed modern bridges. The river system continues from the Miljacka to the Bosna, Sava and Danube rivers, reaching the Black Sea. The main collector carrying fecal matter runs parallel to the river to its mouth, while the sewer system is not connected to it at several locations. Wastewater treatment equipment was looted after treatment stopped during the Bosnian War. A project presented in April 2015 aimed to bring the river to category A, and a contract signed in August 2015 covered cleaning the 48 cascades.
The Miljacka has poor discharge, a peculiar smell and brown waters. Its cascades trap plastic scraps, stranded balls, car tires and other waste. Leakage of fecal matter enters the river directly at several locations because the sewer system is not connected to the main collector. At the Latin Bridge, the river was reported as only 10 centimetres deep. Bentbaša diving-site depth varies from 3.5 to 4.4 metres depending on the time of month. The river rose almost to bridge level during the 2014 floods and nearly submerged some bridges during the 2021 floods. Wastewater treatment was stopped during the Bosnian War.
The Miljacka enters the Bosna River at Bojnik, Sarajevo. Its mouth is at an elevation of 488 metres, and its coordinates are 43°52′10″N 18°17′27″E / 43.869409°N 18.290759°E.
Named crossings include Goat's Bridge, Šeher-Ćehaja Bridge, Emperor's Bridge, Latin Bridge, Ćumurija Bridge, Drvenija Bridge, Čobanija Bridge, Festina lente bridge, Skenderija Bridge, Suada and Olga Bridge, and Bosmal Bridge. Bentbaša dam and 48 river cascades are also cited.
Reference : Wikipédia — Miljacka
For any survey, inspection or subsea intervention in Sarajevo, contact our teams:
Tel: +33 (0)9 52 51 00 63
Email: contact@semtec-france.com
Read also: underwater UXO clearance · commercial diving services · offshore subsea works.