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 19th INTERNATIONAL MULTIDISCIPLINARY
SCIENTIFIC GEOCONFERENCE
SGEM2019

CONFERENCE PROCEEDINGS

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VOLUME 19

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SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGIES IN GEOLOGY,

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EXPLORATION AND MINING

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ISSUE 1.1
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GEOLOGY

APPLIED AND ENVIRONMENTAL GEOPHYSICS

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30 June – 6 July, 2019

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Copyright © SGEM2019
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All Rights Reserved by the International Multidisciplinary Scientific GeoConference SGEM

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Published by STEF92 Technology Ltd., 51 “Alexander Malinov” Blvd., 1712 Sofia, Bulgaria
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ISBN 978-619-7408-76-8
ISSN 1314-2704
DOI: 10.5593/sgem2019/1.1

INTERNATIONAL MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENTIFIC GEOCONFERENCE SGEM

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 Section Applied and Environmental Geophysics

MARINE GEOPHYSICAL INVESTIGATIONS TO ASSESS THE SAFETY OF

THE ROMANIAN MARITIME SPACE. CASE STUDY: MIDIA HARBOR
OFFSHORE

Dr. Radu George Dimitriu1

Marius-Bogdan Barbu1,2
Ovidiu Radu3

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Irina Marilena Stanciu1,2
Valerică Roșca4

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1
National Institute for Research and Development on Marine Geology

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and Geoecology – GeoEcoMar, Romania
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Bucharest University, Faculty of Geology and Geophysics, Romania

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former with Research Center for Navy, Romania

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Research Center for Navy, Romania
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ABSTRACT
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Redefining the maritime space security framework is actually a top priority for any
European maritime country, and Romania is no exception. Several research projects, all
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in connection with the safety of the maritime space and the submerged cultural heritage
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have been addressed by the Romanian researchers during the last years. Among them,
the project entitled “Implementation of a geophysical investigation and monitoring tool
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of the Romanian maritime space security – MAR-S” explicitly aimed at demonstrating

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the effectiveness of a complex geophysical tool proposed for the advanced investigation
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of the submarine domain and the usefulness of the dedicated GIS-database, comprising
all the relevant information for the topic, namely created.
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A maritime testing area, on whose surface the efficiency of the complex, geophysical
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tool designed to investigate the sea bottom was to be demonstrated, was established off
Midia harbor. The selection of the testing area was based on information regarding the
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existence on the seabed of many snags which hang and tear the fishing nets, the certain
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presence of several shipwrecks, the existence on the sea bottom of remnants originating
from the minefields deployed during WWII and the presence of several magnetic targets
previously detected. Last but not least, the re-evaluation of Midia Maritime Terminal
(MMT) safety was considered.
Offshore activities covered an area of around 100 sq. km, on which surface have been
found 117 new magnetic targets and 310 acoustic targets, 67 of them being in excellent
correlation with the magnetic ones. Based on the integrated interpretation of all
available data, the certain presence of four shipwrecks is confirmed, the possible
presence of another, dismembered shipwreck, covered by shallow sediments, is
assumed, while the existence of other two shipwrecks on previously documented
locations is denied. The study also confirms the extension and heading of a former main
minefield, previously well-known by naval authorities, but also highlights the existence
of at least two others possible, totally unknown before, former minefields. Scuba diver

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inspections, also carried out on two locations where previously the magnetic and
acoustic mappings led to the discovery of unknown shipwrecks, corroborated with
information extracted from the new created GIS-database, led to the identification of
potential candidates for the new discovered, unknown shipwrecks
Keywords: Black Sea, maritime space security, magnetics, acoustics, UXO

INTRODUCTION
The world in which we live is in constant change and, unfortunately, not all recent
global and regional developments are likely to generate increased confidence and the
strengthening of the security climate. The depreciation of the regional security climate

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has led to the initiation of major actions to characterize, both at national and European
level, the degree of security of the maritime space. In the case of Romania, the national

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maritime space comprising the territorial sea, the contiguous area and the exclusive

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economic zone cover an area of over 29,000 sq. km, which represents more than 12% of

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the total land territory. The northern and eastern delineation of the Romanian maritime
space was definitively established following the decision of the International Court of

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Justice in The Hague no. 100 / 03.02.2009, while its southern limit is still discussed by

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experts of the Foreign Ministries of Romania and Bulgaria.
The western Black Sea, to which the Romanian maritime space belongs, was scene of
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human activities in continuous intensification and diversification since the 7th century
BC, when the Greek colonization of Pontus Euxinus begun. Beside the traditional
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activities, such as trading and fishing, practiced since the ancient times, starting with the
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modern period the maritime space became venue for numerous other civil activities,
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such as the exploration, exploitation and transport of natural resources, the deployment
of submarine cables, as well as for numerous and diverse military activities and
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operations. Over time, all these led to the accumulation on the seabed of an extensive
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variety of items whose origin and risk to the health of the marine environment, to the
security of present day and future marine activities are not currently known. Beside
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these, numerous other morphological features of the shore and nearshore seabed, of
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natural and anthropic origin, are also able to pose risks for all current activities carried
out there: navigation, fishing, farming, recreational and adventure scuba diving,
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exploitation of mineral aggregates for artificial feeding of beaches, etc.

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Fig. 1 Location of Midia testing area (yellow rectangle). Green circles are snags where fishermen’s nets
have been hooked over time. In magenta are depicted the restriction areas set up around Midia Maritime
Terminal and sites where remains of the former minefields were found. The certain and assumed presence
of shipwrecks is also depicted

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Consistent efforts are made for decades towards the development and standardization of
methodologies for mapping, detection and accurate localization of submarine targets,
able to study the underwater landscapes, to identify and research cultural, dumping,
wreckage, etc. sites located in a wide diversity of landscape combinations (e.g. [1], [2],
[3]), ranging from deep waters (e.g. [4]) to shallow (e.g. [5], [6]) or even nearshore
waters (e.g. [7], [8], [9]). One of the most recent means upon which the Romanian
geoscientists address the challenge regarding the safety of the maritime space is the
experimental-demonstrative project “Implementation of a geophysical investigation and
monitoring tool of the Romanian maritime space security – MAR-S”, which was
recently ran and concluded under the coordination of the National Institute for Research
and Development on Marine Geology and Geoecology – GeoEcoMar and the

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participation of the Romanian Navy’s Research Center in Constanta. The project aimed
to provide state-of-the-art tools able to give accurate evaluations of the current maritime

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space security as well as its future monitoring.

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METHOD
Most of the demonstrative activities at sea performed within MAR-S project, have been

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carried out in May-June 2018 on the surface of Midia testing area (Fig. 1), whish is

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located approximately 5 km off Midia harbor and around 20 km north of Constanta
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harbor. Within the testing area (surface around 100 sq. km), the sea depth is ranging
from 20 to over 30 m. Based on the vast documentation made within MAR-S project,
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the following main information was considered, when Midia testing area was selected
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for the demonstration actions: (1) the possibility of using for the activities at sea of the
coastal research vessel R/V Istros and of engine boats onboard it; (2) the certain
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existence on the seabed of several shipwrecks and the supposed presence of several
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other; (3) the certain existence of many unidentified, metal objects on the seabed,
notified by naval authorities; (4) the ample operations of deploying extended minefields
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off Constanta, carried out during WWI and WWII; (5) the existence of relatively
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numerous snags on the seabed, where fishermen’s nets have been hanged and teared
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over time; (6) the certain existence, highlighted by previous geophysical measurements,
of several local magnetic anomalies of unknown origin, most probably due to anthropic
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origin sources located on the bottom of the sea; (7) the need of an updated risk
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assessment for the modern hydrocarbon infrastructure which operates there - Midia
Maritime Terminal (MMT), comprising of a 16 million ton/year crude oil capacity
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mono-buoy and the pipeline that connect it with the onshore refinery.
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Fig. 2 The three vessels used for the geophysical and scuba diving operations carried out during the sea
cruises: E/B Carina (left), R/V Istros (center) and R/V Mare Nigrum (right)
All operations at sea have been carried out onboard of the speedy engine boat E/B
Carina, of the fluvial–maritime coastal research vessel R/V Istros and of the
oceanographic research vessel R/V Mare Nigrum (Fig. 2). The main geophysical
investigation methods applied were the marine magnetometry and the side-scan sonar.

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All high-resolution magnetic mappings have been carried out with Geometrics, Cesium
vapour, total field marine magnetometers (model G-882) towed either by E/B Carina in
shallower waters or by R/V Mare Nigrum in deeper waters. The side-scan sonar
mappings have been performed with a L-3 Klein System 3900 meter. During the second
sea cruise, a few diving sessions have been made by a team of two scuba divers from
GeoEcoMar at two of the most important targets, representing unknown shipwrecks,
newly discovered by marine magnetometry on the sea bottom within the testing area
and subsequently validated by the acoustic images provided by the lateral sonar.
RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The maritime surface investigated in greatest detail off Midia harbour, during the two
sea cruises organized within MAR-S project, has a surface of about 100 sq. km. Over

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1,000 km of continuous (10 readings/second) magnetic lines have been acquired and

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processed. The maps of total geomagnetic field anomaly resulted (Fig. 3) clearly depicts

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the coexistence of both magnetic effects due to deep geological sources (i.e. the regional

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trend of increase towards northeast of the geomagnetic field and the two local magnetic
anomalies, with wavelengths of 1,4-1,5 km, mapped eastwardly of MMT) and of

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numerous other very local magnetic anomalies due to sources located on the seabed

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or/and shallowly covered by recent sediments. The 3D modelling of the two local
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anomalies located eastwardly of MMT indicates depths to the top of the sources of
around 400-440 m, which clearly demonstrate their geological origin.
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Fig. 3 Maps of the total geomagnetic field anomaly (left) and of the analytic magnetic signal (right)
resulted for Midia testing area
In order to obtain the best separation of local and very local magnetic anomalies, which
are of interest for the study, from the regional effects due to deeper, geological sources,
a special processing procedure was applied in order to obtain a map of the analytical
magnetic signal (Fig. 3). This second map clearly attenuates the regional anomalous
effects, but instead amplifies the magnetic effects generated by shallow, local and very
local sources mainly represented by shipwrecks and/or UXO (UnExploded Ordnance)
and USO (Unidentified Submarine Objects) objects located on the surface of the seabed,
or in several cases, concealed by sediments. Remarkable from the first examination are
the continuity of the local anomaly generated by the oil pipeline, the amplified effects of
the at least four local anomalies previously highlighted in the central area of the map

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(three of them proved to correspond to shipwrecks), as well as the anomalous

alignment, clearly notable in the northern border of the map. Additionally, the presence
of many other anomalous sources of interest for the maritime space safety is obvious.
The next step in the magnetic data processing, representation and interpretation
procedure was the individual analysis of each marine magnetic line, made in order to
identify magnetic targets, to examine, index and enter them in the dedicated GIS
database, independently designed and implemented within MAR-S project. Thus, a
number of 117 individual magnetic targets, produced by very different sources, were
identified. In Fig. 4 are presented some of these very local magnetic anomalies with
amplitudes ranging from 1 nT to several tens, hundreds even thousands of nT, with
wavelengths from 10-15 m to hundreds of meters, generated by known (pipelines,

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shipwrecks, remains of the former minefields, etc.) and yet unknown anthropic sources.

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Fig. 4 Local and very local magnetic anomalies produces by anthropic, known and yet unknown sources
located on the sea bottom on the surface or concealed by shallow sediments
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For some cases, the sources of the magnetic anomalies were previously known and
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revealed by side-scan sonar acoustic images. This is the case of the German shipwrecks
Arkadia, a cargo sunk in 1943 by the accidental strike of a naval mine, Amsel, a tug
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torpedoed in 1942 and the unidentified shipwreck discovered by marine magnetometry

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in 2015 (supposed to be a German landing-pontoon - marinefahrpram, accidentally

entered in the minefield and sunk. A totally unknown previously shipwreck was also
discovered by marine magnetometry at approx. 2.7 km north of Arkadia shipwreck and
later validated by the acoustic images produced by the side-scan sonar survey.

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Fig. 5 Samples of small acoustic targets identified on the sea bottom, which requires inspection of scuba
divers to determine their origin and the risk they pose for present and future activities
Most of Midia testing area was also covered by side-scan sonar, full coverage
measurements. After a careful examination of all raw data recorded distinct 310
acoustic have been identified on the surface of the mapped area. The length of the
acoustic targets varies from half a meter to over 62 m, while their width is from 10 cm
to around 13 m. 67 of them correlate well and very well with the magnetic targets
identified in the same area, suggesting that they are produced by the same anomalous
sources.
The acoustic research has revealed with great accuracy the buried route of the pipeline
that connects maritime terminal and the onshore refinery. Numerous acoustic targets

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(Fig. 5) correlated with magnetic targets, highlights the position of the former
minefields. However, there are also situations when groups of acoustic targets

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apparently do not correlate with magnetic targets but, nevertheless, define alignments

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that may be of interest to the security of the Romanian maritime space.

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Fig. 6 Midia testing area and the graphical representation of the main categories of information that
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fundament the integrated interpretation of geophysical data. Shipwrecks are depicted with the classic
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symbols, the large, green circles are snags, the small, yellow circles are the acoustic targets and the
large, red circles are the magnetic targets
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The integrated interpretation of geophysical data, together with all the other information
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regarding the former minefields, the shipwrecks, the oil infrastructure, the snags, the
notes extracted from logbooks, military operations logs, memoirs, etc., gathered and
systematized in parallel, allowed to highlight some particularly relevant aspects
regarding the safety and security of the environment and of activities that take place on
of the surface of the investigated maritime sector. Fig. 6 depicts the main elements and
information took into consideration in this process.
The integrated interpretation (Fig. 7) of all data and information highlighted the
following: (I) a very good concordance between the route shown on the navigation
maps and the actual route of the pipeline connecting the maritime terminal and Midia
refinery, is obvious; (II) the existence of shipwrecks in two locations received from
unofficial sources is denied; (III) the certain presence of four shipwrecks is
demonstrated; (IV) the alignment of magnetic targets located in the northern limit of the
study area seems to reveal the location of a former minefield, of whose existence the

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naval authorities were not previously aware. The fact that along that alignment the
magnetic targets do not correlate with any acoustic targets suggest that the ferrous
remains of the former minefield are buried in sediments; (V) the alignment of both
magnetic and acoustic targets, highlighted in the eastern sector of the study area, linking
the location of a Shchuka-class submarine wreckage site with a location situated
northwardly of the perimeter, where a naval mine was hooked in the fisherman’s nets,
also suggests the possible existence of another former minefield; (VI) the central sector
of the study area, in which many acoustic and magnetic targets are grouped, overlaps
very well with the restriction area figured on the navigation charts, which corresponds
to a main former minefield from WWII; (VII) on the location figured with a white
question mark, an intense magnetic anomaly was mapped, without it being correlated

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with an acoustic target located on the surface of the seabed. Consequently, the existence
on that location of a USO-type object, buried in sediments is assumed.

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Fig. 7 Left map - The locations where shipwrecks were found: left, up is an unknown wreck, possibly a
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German, speedy torpedo boat; down, left are Arkadia and Amsel shipwrecks, down, right is an unknown
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wreck, possibly a German landing-pontoon. Right map - alignments where the existence of former
minefields (green interrupted lines) is assumed. The white question mark corresponds to a possibly USO
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buried in sediments
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Considering the ample documentation made within MAR-S project, the in situ
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observations of the scuba divers and the apparent dimensions of the unknown
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shipwrecks discovered, we may assume the first one is one of the several German
speedy torpedo boat (schnellboot) scuttled off Constanţa by the German Navy in late
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August 1944, whereas the second one could be a BDB-type German landing-pontoon
(marinefahrprahm) lost on mines.
CONCLUSION
The experimental demonstration of the complex geophysical tools’ efficiency, made at
local scale within Midia testing area, fully proved the excellency of high resolution
marine magnetometry, in conjunction with side-scan sonar surveying, for the advanced
investigation of maritime space safety and security. The integrated application of
complementary geophysical methods of investigation makes possible to overcome the
limitations each method has when applied individually. Thus, the multibeam bathymetry
and especially the side-scan sonar have a special ability to highlight fine morphological
features of the sea bottom, to visualize the existence and dimensions of objects on the
surface of the seabed, but become totally ineffective when the same objects are off the

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swath covered by readings, or if they are camouflaged by sediments or by other means.

However, marine magnetometry and magnetic gradiometry are perfectly capable of
highlighting the presence of ferrous objects even when they are covered by thick
sediments or if they are away from the research vessel. Magnetic methods may
accurately establish the presence and location of anomalous sources and, in some
situations, may determine the magnetic mass that is proportional to the tonnage of the
sources, but do not have the ability to visualize the sources, which implies the
subsequent use of acoustic methods. As was clearly demonstrated at Midia testing site,
the in-situ inspections of scuba divers, or using ROV equipment, made at sites of
interest already identified are able to provide clues and details that help to identify the
targets and to establish their risk for the maritime space security and related activities.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

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The work and publication of the results were supported by the project “Implementation

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of a geophysical investigation and monitoring tool of the Romanian maritime space
security – MAR-S”, code PN-III-P2-2.1-PED-2016-1194-217PED and the core-project
“The study of the geodynamic regime on Dobrogea, of its influence on the paleo-

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geographical changes produced in the Black Sea coastal area, including the Danube

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Delta, as well as on the presence and human activities”, Contract 13N/08.02.2019, both
funded by Romanian Ministry of Research and Innovation.
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