RenewableUK reports that the offshore wind industry is now developing and begins thinking of the use of helicopters and drones, as more than 50% of turbines consented or planned in Europe are over 250m tall. RenewableUK’s latest project Intelligence report shows that those projects, all located in UK waters, will mainly use turbines over 280m tall, while the tallest units currently operational in Europe are 230m.
Essex Police, the UK Maritime & Coastguard Agency (MCA) and the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI) have teamed up on a new one-year-long drone trial to support vital search and rescue action around the coast of Essex. The trial started on 29 April.
NASA’s Langley Research Center released a video last week showing four large drones releasing over 100 smaller drones known as ‘Cicadas’, at the Beaver Dam Airpark in Virginia. Cicada, developed by the US Naval Research Laboratory, stands for “Close-in Covert Autonomous Disposable Aircraft.”
US Coast Guard Civil Engineering Unit Providence, Rhode Island, tested a short range Unmanned Aerial System to inspect the construction of new Aids to Navigation structures. Lt. Kieron D. McCarthy carried out the inspections by piloting the UAS from a small boat assigned to the New Haven, Connecticut-based US Coast Guard Cutter Bollard.
New technologies are rapidly entering the inspection era, adhering to the contextually digital transformation trends, while major classification societies are embracing the so-called Remote Inspection Techniques for class surveys. For those wondering the reasons why, safer and less intrusive surveys is the answer!
The Danish Maritime Authority announced the launch of a large drone, that will be used to check emissions from vessels operating in Danish waters to make sure they comply with the sulphur limit. The European Maritime Safety Agency is providing the drone, aiming to prevent ship pollution.
The UK Defence Secretary has announced a £75million ($98 million) funds injection for robots and autonomous mine-hunter vessels for the Royal Navy. The fund is planned to be spent on two new autonomous mine-hunter vessels with sonars, to enable remote mine-hunting at higher range, speed and accuracy as well as NavyX, a new joint military and industry hi-tech accelerator.
In cooperation with Airbus, Norwegian shipping company Wilhelmsen launched this week a shore-to-ship Singapore pilot project, marking the first deployment of drone technology in real-time port conditions, delivering a variety of items to working vessels at anchorage.
ABS published guidance notes on the use of remote inspection technologies, detailing best practices for their use on class surveys and non-class inspections. The guidance notes cover pilot-operated unmanned aerial vehicles, remotely operated underwater vehicles and robotic crawlers, collectively known as remote inspection technologies (RITS).
Japanese shipping company “K” Line has joined forces with ‘non-destructive testing’ company Technos Mihara Corporation on a development project using an innovative method for ship hull inspection and maintenance by a drone and image analysis system.
