Bagging a lift
Mine removal safer with remote bag

ABCD Danny Gordon (bare headed) and aquarist Paul Baker, attach the tether from the Cormorant mine lifting bag to this Manta sea mine on the floor of the seal pool at the Sydney Aquarium.

Photo: Phil Barling

By Graham Davis

The United States, Denmark and Singapore have shown interest in a Tasmanian designed and made mine lifting bag, the Minister for Defence, Senator Robert Hill, said last week.

He announced that a $1 million contract placed by Defence will see two of the bags assigned to each of the RAN’s six coastal minehunters.

“This is a very good story,” Senator Hill said.

The Minister’s remarks came when the lifting bag was demonstrated for the media and other interested parties in the 2 million litre seal pool at the Sydney Aquarium, Darling Harbour on August 24.

Sixty people attended the demonstration provided by members of AUSCDTONE, DSTO, the manufacturers and aquarium staff.

The demonstration saw ABCD Danny Gordon and aquarist Paul Baker attach a tether from the lifting bag to a dummy Manta mine positioned on the floor of the pool.

As they stood off a timer allowed air from four cylinders to quickly fill the bright orange sack and with its load, head three metres to the surface.

The lifting bag also comes with a remotely controlled activator which can be triggered up to a kilometre away.

Called the Cormorant Lift Bag it is the result of combined efforts by DSTO, the RAN, Liferaft Systems Australia and Fiomarine Industries Pty Ltd.

Liferaft Systems Australia won the contract to design and manufacture the prototype while Fiomarine developed the acoustic communication and actuation system for its remote operation and float management.

Senator Hill said the RAN had looked overseas for devices which could lift mines but found the Tasmanian designed and made equipment was the best.

The US, Denmark and Singapore were now interested in the lift bag, Senator Hill said.

“Sea mines are a significant hazard for navy operations and commercial shipping because they are cheap to make, easy to deploy and becoming increasingly sophisticated and hard to detect,” Senator Hill said.

“It is conservatively estimated that 41 navies are capable of laying mines, 31 countries manufacture them and over 20 countries export them.

“As we saw last year, underwater mines delayed the delivery of urgent humanitarian aid to the people of Iraq until our Navy divers moved quickly to clear the port of Umm Qasr.

“The safe disposal of sea mines is a high priority for the Navy and technologies such as the new lift bag will assist the diving team to carry out their clearance operations in safety,” the Minister said.

The Cormorant is capable of lifting underwater objects weighing up to 1000 kg from depths down to 90 metres. The bag can also be used for civilian applications such as search and rescue and salvage operations.

During his remarks to the group Senator Hill suggested the bag could be used to recover training missiles fired from ships.

The lifting bag demonstrated in the seal pool will now head to waters north-east of Singapore.

It will be demonstrated to members of the five nations, Australia, the UK, Singapore, Malaysia and New Zealand taking part in Exercise Bersama Lima.

The seal pool is usually occupied by five fur seals and a sea lion.

They, however were kept in their on-shore pens during the early morning demonstration.

.