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Posted: November 5th, 2023
Adopting Autonomous Inspection Drones to Monitor Bulk Cargo Hold Conditions on Vessels Trading Between South Africa and Europe
The bulk cargo industry faces many challenges in ensuring the safety, quality and efficiency of its operations. One of the most critical aspects of bulk cargo management is the inspection of the cargo holds, which are large spaces where the cargo is stored and transported. Cargo holds need to be regularly inspected for corrosion, damage, moisture, contamination and other defects that could compromise the integrity of the cargo or the vessel. However, conventional methods of cargo hold inspection are time-consuming, costly, risky and often inaccurate. They involve human inspectors climbing scaffolds, ladders or ropes to access hard-to-reach areas, or using cherry pickers or cranes to lift them up. These methods expose the inspectors to hazards such as falls, injuries, fatigue and exposure to toxic substances. Moreover, they require the vessel to be docked or anchored, which disrupts the normal operations and increases the downtime and operational costs.
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To overcome these limitations, some bulk cargo operators have started to adopt autonomous inspection drones as a new technology for monitoring the cargo hold conditions. Autonomous inspection drones are unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that can fly autonomously into the cargo holds, track their location, capture high-resolution images and videos of the cargo hold surfaces, and use artificial intelligence (AI) to detect and measure defects such as rust, cracks, coating condition and steel thickness. The drones can also transmit the inspection data in real time to a remote operator or a cloud-based platform for further analysis and reporting. Autonomous inspection drones offer several advantages over conventional methods, such as:
- Improved safety: The drones eliminate the need for human inspectors to enter the cargo holds or use dangerous equipment, reducing the risk of accidents and injuries.
- Increased efficiency: The drones can inspect the cargo holds faster and more thoroughly than human inspectors, covering large areas in a short time and accessing difficult-to-reach spots. The drones can also inspect the cargo holds while the vessel is sailing or loading/unloading, minimizing the downtime and operational costs.
- Enhanced accuracy: The drones can capture high-quality images and videos of the cargo hold surfaces, which can be enhanced by AI algorithms to highlight defects and anomalies. The drones can also measure defects quantitatively using sensors such as ultrasonic thickness meters, which provide more reliable data than visual inspection.
- Better documentation: The drones can store and transmit the inspection data electronically, which can be easily accessed and shared by different stakeholders. The inspection data can also be used to create digital models of the cargo holds, which can help in planning maintenance and repair activities.
Several examples of autonomous inspection drones have been developed and tested by different organizations in recent years. For instance, DNV GL, a leading classification society, has launched a project called ADRASSO (Autonomous Drone-based Surveys of Ships in Operations), which aims to develop a drone that can fly autonomously into a cargo or ballast tank, track its location, and use AI to spot rust, cracks or poor coating condition. Bureau Veritas, another classification society, has performed its first survey by drone in 2020 on a bulk carrier in an Italian port. The drone conducted close-up inspections and ultrasonic thickness measurements in two cargo hold spaces with the agreement of the flag authority. Global Drone Inspection (GDI), a company that provides drone inspection services for various industries, has also conducted cargo hold inspections using remote technology. GDI claims that its drone inspections can reduce costs and downtime by up to 80% compared to conventional methods.
However, autonomous inspection drones also face some challenges and limitations that need to be addressed before they can be widely adopted by the bulk cargo industry. Some of these challenges are:
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- Regulatory barriers: The use of autonomous inspection drones requires approval from relevant authorities such as flag states, port states, classification societies and insurance companies. The regulations for drone operations vary from country to country and may not be harmonized or updated to reflect the latest technological developments. Moreover, some regulations may not allow drone inspections while the vessel is sailing or loading/unloading, which limits their potential benefits.
- Technical issues: The development of autonomous inspection drones involves complex engineering problems such as navigation, localization, obstacle avoidance, communication, data processing and AI analysis. These problems require advanced solutions that are robust, reliable and adaptable to different environments and scenarios. Moreover, the drones need to be compatible with different types of vessels and cargo holds, which may have different sizes, shapes, structures and materials.
- Human factors: The adoption of autonomous inspection drones may also affect the human factors involved in cargo hold inspection such as skills, training, trust and acceptance. The drone operators need to have adequate skills and training to operate the drones safely and effectively, as well as to interpret and validate the inspection data. The human inspectors may also need to adapt to the new technology and its implications for their roles and responsibilities. Furthermore, the stakeholders such as owners, managers, charterers and regulators need to trust and accept the drone inspection results as valid and reliable.
In conclusion, autonomous inspection drones are a promising technology for monitoring the cargo hold conditions on vessels trading between South Africa and Europe. They offer significant advantages over conventional methods in terms of safety, efficiency, accuracy and documentation. However, they also face some challenges and limitations that need to be overcome before they can be widely adopted by the bulk cargo industry. Therefore, further research and development, testing and validation, regulation and standardization, and education and awareness are needed to facilitate the adoption of autonomous inspection drones in the bulk cargo industry.
References
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: Global Drone Inspection. "Cargo holds inspection using remote technology." Accessed November 29, 2023. https://www.drone-inspection.global/maritime/cargo-holds/.
: Bureau Veritas. "Seeing remotely – in safety: Bureau Veritas performs first survey by drone." Accessed November 29, 2023. https://marine-offshore.bureauveritas.com/newsroom/seeing-remotely-safety-bureau-veritas-performs-first-survey-drone.
: DNV GL. "ADRASSO: Autonomous drone-based surveys of ships in operations." Accessed November 29, 2023. https://www.dnv.com/research/review2018/featured-projects/adrasso-autonomous-drone-ship-surveys.html.
: C4ISRNET. "Autonomous drones may help Air Force slash aircraft inspection times." Accessed November 29, 2023. https://www.c4isrnet.com/unmanned/2023/06/28/autonomous-drones-may-help-air-force-slash-aircraft-inspection-times/.
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