The COVID19 pandemic introduced unprecedented constraints on international operations, requiring organisations to adapt rapidly while maintaining safety, compliance and service quality. For Global Clearance Solutions (GCS), operating in complex environments under restrictive conditions is part of daily business. The pandemic, however, required an additional level of flexibility and close cooperation with clients to ensure continuity of critical support services.

One such example occurred during a scheduled service engagement in South Sudan, where GCS provides technical support to mechanical clearance operations conducted under UN mandate.

Adapting service delivery on the ground

A GCS field engineer travelled from Lebanon to South Sudan to carry out inspection and maintenance work on mechanical clearance assets used by UNMAS. Upon arrival, local regulations required a mandatory quarantine period. Under normal circumstances, this would have delayed maintenance activities and affected operational availability.

Rather than suspending work, GCS and UNMAS jointly assessed alternative approaches that would comply fully with local health requirements while allowing essential service activities to continue. Given the nature of the inspection tasks, it was determined that work could be carried out in isolation, without access to an active operational site.

With UNMAS support, the required equipment and workshop infrastructure were relocated to the compound where the engineer was quarantined. This arrangement allowed inspection, servicing and technical checks to proceed safely and efficiently, while remaining fully compliant with national regulations.

Maintaining operational readiness

Over the following weeks, the equipment underwent detailed inspection, servicing and maintenance to ensure readiness for continued operations. The assets support vegetation clearance, ground preparation and explosive hazard clearance tasks, including battle area clearance and EOD activities in hazardous environments across South Sudan.

As Fabian Klauser, Head of Services at GCS, explains:

"We are accustomed to working within diverse regulatory environments, but the unpredictability of the current situation requires an even higher degree of adaptability. Close cooperation with clients is essential to ensure that critical clearance capabilities remain available."

Service as part of integrated capability

The example illustrates how GCS approaches service and maintenance as an integral part of explosivethreat mitigation, rather than as a standalone technical activity. By combining field expertise, flexible logistics and cooperative problemsolving, GCS supports customers in maintaining operational continuity even under restrictive conditions.

As clearance operations continue worldwide despite global disruption, the ability to adapt service delivery without compromising safety or quality remains critical. GCS continues to apply this approach across its field support, maintenance and lifecycle services, ensuring that essential clearance capabilities remain available where they are most needed.