Technical map of Bremerhaven marking Bremerhaven as the location for ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Bremerhaven

For project owners and designers in Bremerhaven, ordnance assessment starts with the proposed foundations and associated ground interventions. Piles, shoring and utility connections may affect different areas and depths from the eventual building footprint. Send FONTANA-EOD the planned interventions and existing ordnance records so further investigation needs can be coordinated against official information.

Structures

Show the position and depth of every intervention.

Preliminary clarification

Review official information and earlier reports.

Investigation

Document areas and depths investigated.

Discuss your foundation designOrdnance assessment in the state of Bremen
Assess the construction project

Record foundations, shoring and connections with their depths

For piles, excavations and shoring in Bremerhaven, we compare planned interventions with existing reports and official requirements. Also show temporary working spaces, access routes and relocated connections on the site plan. Before the first ground intervention, we clarify the findings needed for each construction task and which official preliminary clarification is already available. We coordinate changes in position or depth before the affected works.

Project references

Selected project examples

Project site

Identify construction projects in Bremerhaven and the surrounding area

Schematic map with a coat of arms, alongside a tablet, safety helmet and notebook.

Specify the project in Bremerhaven

The enquiry requires the property, foundation design and proposed earthworks. Bremen’s preliminary clarification procedure also applies to Bremerhaven; the specific assessment remains site-bound. Describing an area as port or commercial land establishes neither the investigation required nor its results. Your project drawings determine the geographical coverage. Bremerhaven is an independent city in the state of the Free Hanseatic City of Bremen. For enquiries from Mitte, Lehe, Geestemünde, Wulsdorf or Fischereihafen, identify the exact property. For overseas port and terminal projects, account for the municipal status of the overseas port area belonging to the city of Bremen. Enquiries from Langen in Geestland, Schiffdorf, Nordenham or Cuxhaven are assigned according to their project location and responsible procedure there. Also state whether port, shipyard, industrial or traffic areas are affected and which existing installations remain in use during construction.

Bremen and Bremerhaven
Local context

Historical evidence for foundations and shoring

Construction tasks and ongoing operations

If a hall receives new foundations, for example, shoring, working spaces and utility connections may be needed alongside the later columns. Show these interventions on the drawing. Also state which adjoining operating areas are to remain in use during investigation. The history of Bremerhaven documents the air raid of 18 September 1944 and the extensive destruction of the city centre. For a construction site today, compare such historical indications with its actual position and history of use. Existing records may describe different construction stages on port, cargo handling and terminal areas, quays, storage and loading areas, shipyards and industrial sites. Assign rail connections, freight and route corridors to their respective intervention areas. Consider waterfront and sheet pile works, fill, port construction, dike and infrastructure measures and later demolition and new construction using the available records. Classification of an area with suspected ordnance remains the responsibility of the authority.

Preliminary clarification application with specific interventions

Bremen Police provides a preliminary clarification application for Bremen and Bremerhaven. Among other details, the form asks about driving operations, pile foundations and drilling, and the installation depth of the elements proposed for them. Identify individual works on the preliminary clarification drawings. Location within the port or city alone does not establish contamination of a property. The form currently linked also records planned excavation depth, fill placed after 1945 and any existing stratigraphic log. Assemble these details for the specific property and identify unresolved matters. An overview map and site plan show the project in relation to adjoining areas.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the existing project documents. The operator adds the requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact agrees the assigned tasks with those responsible. Before commissioning, a clear record is made of which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the results are intended to inform.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation scope. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent authorities concerned. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the specialist service performed; its conclusions are not presented unchecked as general authorisation for further groundworks or as an authority's decision.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Relate existing results to the foundation design

Assign aerial photograph analyses and technical reports to the proposed excavations and foundation positions. Record different investigation depths and limitations. This identifies the findings still needed for the specific works. Earlier construction on the property does not replace an appropriate investigation for new or deeper interventions.

Assess historical documents

Agree methods and the required depth

Technical planning considers the investigation objective, proposed foundations and site conditions. Findings from near-surface measurements are not extended to arbitrary pile depths without evidence. Describe necessary preparatory works and access too. The commission defines the results to document and how outstanding areas are handed over to the next parties. If further work is required, describe the clearance objective and geographical scope for the agreed area. An area clearance is coordinated with the actual construction stage and official requirements. Arrange recovery and further handling of confirmed explosive ordnance within the applicable framework of official responsibilities.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Include the entire foundation task in the investigation commission

Illustration: a person with survey equipment in a marked construction area; an excavator with a drilling attachment stands on the right.

Piles beyond an excavation previously considered

A pile position may extend beyond an earlier investigation in position or depth. Draw all proposed positions with their planned installation depths. Compare them using complete reports and maps. A general statement about the excavation does not establish findings for arbitrary deeper foundations. Identify outstanding points specifically before work starts.

Understand downhole surveys
Illustration: two people with a tablet beside a drawing table and a survey trolley on a construction site.

Shoring as a separate early intervention

Temporary shoring may be installed before excavation itself. Include its axis, installation depth and working areas in preparation. Assign the results needed to this early date. An investigation step planned later for the excavation cannot replace prerequisites for earlier works. Compare changes in shoring design with existing findings again.

Specialist services and investigation tasks
Illustration: a person wearing a hard hat and holding a tablet beside a cordoned-off excavation with an excavator.

Include connections and external areas

Utility lines and chambers may lie outside the building footprint or require other depths. Describe these interventions with their working spaces. Compare the investigation scope with existing results. A shared function for the building does not establish automatic geographical coverage. Site management receives the relevant records for each part.

Provide specialist supervision of excavation
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First clarify which decision the commission is to support. Does it involve initial assessment of existing records, investigation of a particular area or further work on a finding already assessed? These tasks need different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an executable investigation scope. The enquiry therefore identifies the intervention, position, depth and available findings. Agree suitable specialist works and required results documentation on this basis. When acquiring or taking over an operating site, request available information, reports and drawings for the exact property. Record the columns, shoring sections and connection areas needed for the next construction phase. For a tender, provide this evidence with access and operating conditions so the quotation addresses a traceable task.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Clarify access and measurement conditions before the date. This may involve areas to be kept clear, available utility information and coordination with other trades. The chosen method and site determine the preparatory works actually needed. Do not independently alter the surface or undertake additional ground interventions merely to prepare for measurements. Agree their sequence with the technical planners and responsible parties. On a port or logistics site still in use, agree operational traffic routes, delivery times and usable set-up areas with those responsible. The specialist contractor also needs information about known utility lines and installations. Where areas are handed over in sections, record each area’s condition before investigation and compare it again if conditions change.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A reliable sequence distinguishes work whose technical prerequisites are already clarified from prerequisites still outstanding. Account for partly accessible areas in the commission. Allow time in the construction sequence for results handover and assessment too. Agree costs and dates for the specific scope of services. Coordination connects the described scope with access, records, execution conditions and the date a decision is needed. Distinguish information supplied by the client, preparatory works undertaken by other contractors and when technical results are required. Identify shoring or other early interventions that are to precede excavation in particular. Relate the planned investigation date to these prerequisites and the necessary official processing.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Specify position and depth for every component

01

Spread foundations and excavations

Mark the proposed excavation extent, foundation base and associated working spaces. Explain whether only a new component is to be built or existing foundations are to be removed. Distinguish demolition of above-ground components from removal of components below ground.

02

Piles and individual interventions

Assemble planned investigation positions, depths and the corresponding drawing revision. A reference to a surface already investigated is insufficient to assess the proposed deep interventions. What matters is which areas and depths existing results actually cover. Identify pile positions and elevation references unambiguously for comparison. If individual positions or installation depths change, mark the differences from the revision last checked. The specialist contractor can then determine which existing findings remain applicable and which positions need additional evidence.

03

Shoring and temporary components

Record proposed shoring axes and other ground interventions required by the construction method. Temporary components may also matter to the investigation task. Technical planning establishes the areas actually affected; a general description such as excavation support does not replace showing them. Give temporary components traceable positional references too. State which section will be installed first and which areas must be accessible for it. If the method or embedment depth changes, provide the revised drawing for technical coordination before the affected works start.

04

Connections beyond the structure

Show utility trenches, chambers and access modifications where ground interventions are proposed. These areas may lie outside the building footprint originally considered. Identify the drawing revision and connections still requiring coordination. For new connections, also show crossings, trenches, chambers and associated working spaces. An earlier investigation can be used only for the areas actually covered. Handover to the next trade therefore includes the corresponding records and outstanding connection areas.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Relate point, area and depth information

Read a list of foundation positions together with the site plan and elevation datum. Keep different reference elevations identifiable. Existing reports must be reliably relatable to this geometry. Clarify missing information before defining further works so an appropriate depth is not assumed merely from a similar number. Where areas have since been filled, excavated or rebuilt, compare the documented earlier condition with today’s ground. Provide existing stratigraphic logs and information on earthmoving. This comparison establishes whether existing depth information can still be related appropriately to the planned component. Also assign a clearance record for completed clearance works to the site plan and elevation datum used; it records areas covered, the actual clearance scope and results.

Coordinate specialist foundation works with the rest of the construction sequence

Identify when shoring, foundations, excavation and connections will be constructed. Consider the results and official steps needed in that sequence. Handovers include the complete drawings too. An overall construction programme helps coordination but does not replace technical prerequisites for each intervention. Identify for site management the evidence needed before each trade and any question still outstanding. If the contractor changes, pass on complete reports, drawings and the applicable revision together.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Before installing shoring

Assemble the proposed shoring axes, depths and working spaces. Compare them with existing reports and official assessment. Coordinate before the first ground intervention required for them. Keep unresolved construction details visible rather than substituting general assumptions from the later excavation. For waterfront works, identify the accessible working side, existing waterfront structures and current ground elevation in the records. Describe where shoring will be installed from and which areas are actually accessible for it. Before commissioning, explicitly clarify tasks in the water with their own investigation objective, technical services and execution prerequisites.

Coordinate the construction phase with us

When pile positions change

Provide the revised drawing with the affected positions clearly marked. Consider existing results again for these positions and depths. Findings unaffected by the change retain their original scope. Plan additional investigations against the remaining gap and document them before the revised works.

Coordinate the construction phase with us
Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic investigations can be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. Their suitability must be explained for the task, rather than inferred simply from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the findings required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and survey conditions. The specialist assessment determines whether a supplementary method is needed; this remains a project-specific decision.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deeper groundworks, it may be necessary to establish whether a surface investigation can provide the required findings or another approach is needed. Preparation includes the location, depth, borehole layout and existing services. Creating access for the investigation must also be properly planned by specialists. A general depth figure or standard grid cannot replace that work. Findings remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed, the specialists assess whether a planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the intended work sequence. Visual observation of excavated material is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work will take place, how new findings will be handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Which investigation suits the foundation design?

Review preliminary clarification and earlier reports

The historical aerial photograph analysis and earlier technical reports provide different information. Check which sections they cover and which recommendations or limitations they identify. A report for adjoining land may supplement the description of your own intervention but does not automatically replace its assessment.

Investigate deep interventions separately

A surface survey must be assessed against the investigation objective, detectability and local interference. Its results cannot be extended to planned pile or shoring depths without checking. Define supplementary methods on technical grounds and with regard to official requirements rather than deriving them solely from a component’s name.

Account for installations and working access

Existing metal installations, utility lines and inaccessible areas must be included in preparation for surveying. Show these obstacles and the available working areas on the drawing. The technical planners check which method is suitable under these conditions. Investigation limitations must be identifiable in the report.

Next steps

Coordinate records before the investigation

01

Bring plans together

Record foundations, shoring and connections using a consistent drawing revision. For initial coordination, the project owner and designers identify the exact project location, first proposed works and findings needed. Bring together existing records, contacts and unresolved design details.

02

Assign findings to the planned interventions

Compare preliminary clarification and earlier reports with these intervention areas. Review available information, reports and maps for their revision, geographical and vertical coverage and outstanding questions about today’s task. Where historical research or aerial photograph analysis is needed, carry it out for the specific question. Relate findings to the current construction area and investigation design. Official reconnaissance and commissioned specialist works retain their respective purposes.

03

Clarify outstanding questions

Record areas and depths still needing investigation and necessary preparatory works. Select a suitable method for the findings needed, considering intervention depth, utility lines, installations and access. Agree necessary preparatory works and protective conditions with the designers and site management. On areas with suspected ordnance, account for the scope determined by the responsible authority.

04

Carry out the agreed investigation

Investigate the defined areas or points using a suitable method within the agreed scope. Record the data collected and their positional and depth references. Note access limits, interference and differing conditions. If prerequisites change, agree the next steps before continuing the affected works.

05

Assess data and findings

Specialist personnel assess the data and anomalies recorded in relation to the investigation objective, methods and local interference. A measurement anomaly is not already identified explosive ordnance. Identify further investigation or work needed. For a suspicious find, involve the police and responsible authorities through the designated reporting channels.

06

Hand over results

Show in the report which planned interventions the investigation covers. The report and accompanying drawings document results, areas, depths, elevation references and limitations. Hand over the records with the drawing revision used. Before the next trade starts, compare its interventions with this scope and assign outstanding tasks. Clearance of the ground required under section 5 remains a decision of the responsible authority.

Documentation

Investigation report and official clearance

Findings and their scope

The investigation report should identify the area and depth range considered. It must show which planned foundation and shoring elements the investigation covers. Include uninvestigated areas, interference and additional requirements alongside results. If a component’s position changes, check applicability before work starts.

Project responsibilities

Under Bremen’s Explosive Ordnance Act, the responsible authority determines the necessary surveying scope on areas with suspected ordnance. Clearance of the ground regulated there is an official decision. An investigation commissioned from FONTANA-EOD and its documentation do not replace it. Clarify prerequisites for the specific commission before work starts.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

We assess the planned groundworks against the available documents and their design revision. Before attending site, we agree with you what needs to be investigated, which areas are accessible and what findings are required. If the design or site conditions change, we check whether the agreed scope remains appropriate. The report states what was actually investigated and the limits of the findings. This allows designers and site management to see which findings they can use and where questions remain.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

We first establish the investigation objective: which question must it answer? We then select a technically suitable method. The availability of a particular device or experience on a similar neighbouring site is not enough to justify the choice of method on its own.

Keep limitations visible

Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.

Hand over the report and plan together

The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

A depth needs a reference

Depths measured from ground level, an excavation base or another elevation datum are not simply interchangeable. Provide the reference used together with the planned depth. Relate findings on technical grounds using this geometry. If the construction stage changes, check how existing information can still be used.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Prepare the results handover for the next trade

The next trade needs complete records suited to its intervention. These include investigated areas, depths, limitations and the applicable drawing revision. Private investigation and required official clearance remain separately identifiable. A project generally described as complete does not replace this specific handover.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Historical evidence and the current design

Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.

Understand aerial photograph assessment
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Specialist reports for site management

The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.

Assess investigation reports
Person in an orange high-visibility vest with a MALÅ survey cart on a meadow.
Person in a high-visibility vest in front of a marked construction area with piles of soil.
Questions from planning

Questions about foundations and civil engineering in Bremerhaven

Which records help with an enquiry for pile foundations?

The site plan, planned pile positions and intervention depths, existing official information and earlier investigation reports are helpful. Include shoring and other associated ground interventions. This provides a basis for clarifying which areas and depths still need investigation.

Does an investigation of the excavation automatically cover the shoring?

Only insofar as its documented scope actually includes the areas affected. Excavation and shoring may involve different positions and depths. Compare their drawings with the investigation report.

Who decides on official clearance in Bremerhaven?

Bremen’s Explosive Ordnance Act generally assigns responsibilities to Bremen Police. For construction measures regulated by section 5, clearance is granted by the responsible authority. Distinguish this from a specialist contractor’s results documentation.

Must all records be prepared again if pile positions change?

First mark the changed pile positions against the previous drawing revision. Then check whether existing results still cover these positions and depths or whether additional investigations are needed. An unchanged property boundary is insufficient for this.

What should be done if a suspicious object is found?

Stop work in the affected area, keep your distance and do not touch, move or take the object away. Notify the police on 110 and follow their instructions. A routine project enquiry does not replace reporting an immediate find.

Which depth should be specified for piles?

Provide the planned installation depth, its unambiguous elevation datum and the corresponding positions. Report changes to ground levels or construction. Existing investigations can then be compared with the ground actually affected.

Must temporary shoring be included in preparation?

Yes. Where ground interventions are planned, describe positions, depths and working areas. Clarify the technical prerequisites before these works. Their temporary nature does not replace assessment of the specific task.

What affects costs and scheduling for a foundation assessment?

The number and geometry of interventions, required depths, existing records and access conditions are important. The construction sequence and progress of official coordination also matter. Complete foundation and shoring designs help define the commission. The quotation also considers suitable methods, interference, necessary preparatory works and additional investigation needs. Agree the costs of the private commission against its actual scope. Statutory responsibility for surveying, exposing objects and ordnance disposal costs is governed by section 8 of Bremen’s Explosive Ordnance Act.

Project enquiry

Discuss foundation and shoring drawings together

Send foundation and shoring designs together

Provide the pile layout, excavation and shoring designs with depths and elevation datum. Include connections, working spaces, preliminary clarification and existing reports with all appendices.

Identify the first interventions and changes

State which trade will affect the ground first. Identify new positions or depths and unresolved information. Name the responsible designers and proposed date.

Project enquiry

Have your project assessed

Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.

FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.

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