ROV survey first
The world’s first full remote ‘in-water’ hull survey by ROV has been completed.
Bureau Veritas (BV) and service provider MaDfly – Marine Drone Services – have successfully completed the first full in-water ship’s hull survey with a mini ROV on Brittany Ferries’ ship Bretagne.
Laurent Leblanc, senior vice president technical & operations for Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said: “Underwater remote surveys improve safety and reduce risk, time and costs to produce high-quality results. Maintaining the integrity and safety of a ship is a crucial task. Today, technology brings digital classification to another level, providing new opportunities and options to our clients.”
Supervised by Bureau Veritas, the survey provided an opportunity to validate the integrity of the entire ship’s hull’s bottom.
This inspection was the first of its kind, with the test survey performed twice. A remotely operated drone performed an in-water survey with a BV surveyor onboard the vessel. In parallel, Bureau Veritas also tested the capability with its own remote inspection solutions using full HD live video footage from MaDfly. This enabled BV to carry out the survey remotely without any attended surveyor onboard with live streaming, as well as video and audio recording and photo options.
Bureau Veritas said benefits of using this system include safer operations as divers do not have to be in the water; reduction in preparation time – with a single operator and limited equipment; high-quality pictures from the drones; and reduced risk of disturbance to ship operations.
By Rebecca Jeffrey
