Ukraine is currently the most heavily mined country in the world. According to UNDP estimates, around a quarter of the national territory may be contaminated – including many inland waterways and parts of the Black Sea. These regions are crucial for agriculture, shipping and export routes. This is where a maritime demining initiative by Ukrainian agricultural and export company NIBULON, a DEG financing customer, comes in.

DEG Impulse is supporting the project with EUR 7.8 million from the develoPPP programme of the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ).

Nibulon was granted official status as a ‘Humanitarian Demining Operator’ back in 2023. Since then, the company has made great progress: it has established a professional demining unit, built up a fleet of machines for humanitarian clearance and cleared 7,300 hectares of agricultural land. We have also been able to support this part of the initiative through the develoPPP programme.

Expanding Demining Efforts

The new phase of the initiative focuses on the demining of sea routes and inland waters. The clearance of these waterways is crucial for food security, the recovery of the agricultural sector and resilient supply chains in southern Ukraine.

The develoPPP funding will enable the construction and deployment of an innovative 90-metre water platform. The ship will conduct deep-water clearance work using modern unmanned underwater systems, including underwater drones. A dock for maintenance and repair work will also be built on land.

The clearance of sea routes complements Nibulon's other demining activities, such as the further clearance of agricultural land, the establishment of a technical service centre and mobile rapid response units.

The new platform is being built at Nibulon's own shipyard, currently the only operational shipyard in Ukraine. With this internal capacity, the company can implement all steps from design to commissioning from a single source.

During a visit to Cologne last autumn, Andriy Vadaturskyy, CEO of Nibulon, together with other company representatives, presented the plans for maritime demining and gave a very impressive description of the situation on the ground.

DEG Impulse supports the project with €7.8 million from the develoPPP programme by the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). The company is committing to the same level of investment. The develoPPP funding will enable the construction and deployment of an innovative 90-metre underwater platform. The vessel will carry out deep-water clearance work using modern unmanned underwater systems, including underwater drones.