Bureau Veritas performs first remote survey

Photo: Bureau Veritas

It was carried out in the holds of a bulk carrier in an Italian port and consisted of close-up inspections and ultrasonic thickness measurements (UTM) conducted by a drone in two cargo hold spaces.

The required prior agreement from the flag authority was confirmed – all the more necessary as the ship is subject to the IMO Code for the Enhanced Survey Programme (ESP). Remote Inspection Techniques (RIT) were reflected in Bureau Veritas' (BV) rules in 2019. The Drone operator involved in this survey was certified by BV for both RIT and UTM.

Based on the results and accompanying 'proof of concept', the technology was confirmed to provide safer and higher quality evidence for the survey process, as well as additional benefits for shipowners and managers.

Most obvious advantages include the reduction of time and costs, associated with the need for staging, raft surveys or rope access specialists in combination with the required thickness measurement capabilities. According to BV, drone technology has reached a maturity point allowing for a wide-spread implementation of these solutions.

Increase safety is another benefit, as it removes the danger related to exposing the operator to risks of working at height or in confined spaces. Maintenance and planning costs drop as well, due to reduced immobilization period of the surveyed vessel.

Laurent Leblanc, Senior Vice-President, Technical & Operations, Bureau Veritas, said, "We are now ready to offer operational surveys using drones anywhere in the world. We will continue to look for innovation and test new ideas but drone surveys are now going to be part of everyday life for ship surveys. Above all drones provide a level of detail and new level of safety that will benefit both our clients and our surveyors […]. [Drone surveys] are a vital development for the future of classification. Now we can both see and decide remotely."