Bureau Veritas (BV) has successfully proven the concept of deploying its artificial intelligence (AI) technology to detect corrosion during a hull inspection on a bulk carrier by an aerial drone
The tests were conducted in partnership with MaDfly Marine Drone Services in the port of Dunkirk, France. During testing, BV confirmed the value of its AI-based detection solution to support the decision of the surveyor during his general visual inspection and close-up survey of the hull. BV verified this technology provides real-time video-based information; the application can run offline without any connection to the internet; and it works in real survey conditions.
Tests on the bulk carrier proved corrosion detection using a drone can be deployed in the field with the computing capacity of a normal computer.
This proof of concept is a first step for Bureau Veritas to enable ship operators to anticipate the necessary repairs on ship hulls and tanks. Moving forward, BV will further improve the solution and include new functions by using its surveyors’ experience and the data collected from digital technologies such as remote inspection techniques.
BV senior vice president for technical and operations in marine and offshore sectors Laurent Leblanc said, “Digitalisation is changing our daily lives and the use of AI in the shipping industry can make a real difference, helping the industry to be more effective with improved inspection standards and maintenance techniques.”
“BV’s ambition is to develop an end-to-end solution that will support shipowners and shipmanagers in anticipating repairs and better maintaining the hull condition of the ship,” he continued. “It will also support BV’s team of surveyors by building their collective experience and knowledge around corrosion detection underpinned by AI solutions.”
Corrosion represents one of the largest through-life cost components of ships. Combating corrosion can significantly impact vessel reliability, availability, and through-life costs. Through periodic surveys, class society surveyors assess the severity of the corrosion on hull and tank structures, monitoring corrosion evolution during the entire lifecycle of a ship to decide when steel needs to be replaced to maintain the structural integrity of the hull.
BV’s AI technology is part of its digital classification programme which aims to transform its classification operating model through 3D-classification, remote and augmented surveys, and predicted and optimised survey schemes.
New technologies such as AI are disrupting traditional working practices in ship classification, bringing new opportunities for the shipping industry as they further empower informed decision-making, optimise processes and assist in vessel maintenance.
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