Foreship, a Finland ship design and engineering company, is deploying drones to speed up the process of naval draught surveys, while improving safety and accuracy, reports seatrade-maritime.com .
Markus Aarnio, Chief Naval Architect of Foreship, explains, “The traditional way of taking draught readings is time-consuming, and there are always some risks when launching a manned boat from a vessel.”
He continues, “Then, there is always the question of accuracy. It is never easy for a surveyor to take precise measurements in choppy seas, while the ship operator’s interest is for the process to be completed in as short a time as possible.” Aarnio points out that drones can be employed at any port or shipyard when permission is granted and where approval is rarely an issue.
He says, “Drones are fast and highly manoeuvrable and can be controlled from a remote location. This eliminates the need for a survey boat. The technology allows greater accuracy as the video footage captured by the craft allows us to determine the draught reading correctly.”
Aarnio concludes, “Our application of drones in performing draught surveys represents a new and highly focused way of applying digital technology to provide better accuracy in surveys.”
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(News Source: https://www.seatrade-maritime.com)