by Trevor Sturgess

For 27 years, unexploded mines laid by Argentinians at the height of the Falklands War have turned parts of the island into no-go areas.

Children and other residents have been kept out of some of the beaches and fields littered with lethal ordnance.

But that is all set to the change as experts prepare to move in to clear contaminated areas in the beach areas of Surf Bay, close to Stanley Airport, Goose Green - the scene of a famous and fierce battle - and others.

BACTEC International, based at Sir Thomas Longley Road, Medway City Estate, won the prestigious Government contract which will make some beaches and mine-contaminated areas in the Falklands safe for islanders for the first time since the Argentinian surrender in 1982.

Several thousand devices will be cleared during the four-month operation which is being carried out on behalf of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Falkland Islands Government.

The contract is a triumph for chief executive Guy Lucas who returns to a place he knows well. In 1982, the [Kent-based] bomb disposal expert was commanding the 49 EOD Royal Engineers when he accompanied the then governor Rex Hunt to the Falklands immediately after the Argentinian surrender. He was the first on the scene at the mined areas and set up the joint services clearance operation.

Mr Lucas said: “It’s a job I’ve been personally chasing for 27 years. It’s a tremendous achievement from the company’s point of view. This type of operation is what BACTEC was set up to carry out and therefore it is a very significant milestone in BACTEC’s history.”

He returned recently to the Falklands to recce the terrain in preparation for the bid. “All the locals were extremely friendly. It was nice going back there to be part of the community again, and it will be nice to contribute to the clearance. There will be a sigh of relief when all the mines have been removed.”

Mr Lucas paid tribute to his colleagues who prepared the bid. “We had a strong team putting the proposal together and have an equally strong team ready to go down there to operate on the ground.”

BACTEC’s operation will be led by two experienced [Kent-based] ex-Royal Engineers, Roger Gagen (project manager), and operating manager, Kevin Bryan. Both have previously served in the Falklands on bomb and mine clearance projects.

Clearance will be undertaken by 36 highly-trained Zimbabweans. They have already cleared thousands of mines in Taiwan and Lebanon and are said to have the essential patience, aptitude and technical skills.

They will be using the latest ground-penetrating radar and metal detection equipment as well as traditional detectors.

Mr Lucas concedes the job is by its nature hazardous. “Mines are designed to kill and injure. BACTEC trains all its staff to the highest standards and gives them the most suitable equipment. There is no time pressure on them and only when the staff have completed their repeat training and have been accredited by third party QA/QC organization, will they be deployed operationally.

“The health and safety of the work force is of prime importance in all BACTEC’s operations and this is the whole ethos of our approach - working safely in a controlled manner and to the required standards.”

The teams will be deployed to the Falklands later this month (October).

BACTEC has been provided with all available minefield records. But Mr Lucas says that records are not always accurate and will be used as a guideline to the extent of the contamination of the area and the number of mines laid.

Award-winning BACTEC was set up 18 years ago and has worked in 40 countries, soon to be 41 with the Falklands. It has offices in Australia, Philippines, Cambodia, Laos, Mozambique, Lebanon and Libya, and employs up to 1,000 staff worldwide.

The Foreign and Commonwealth Office awarded the clearance contract as part of its commitment to comply with the Otttawa Convention.