Automating Inspections of Cargo and Ballast Tanks using Drones

DNV GL has performed production surveys in enclosed spaces using drones since 2016, demonstrating cost savings and increased personnel safety. It is a vision to develop autonomous inspection drones to reduce the need to enter tanks. We expect that this will reduce survey duration and survey preparation costs for the clients and be a major safety improvement for surveyors. A number of drone capabilities are required to enable visual close-up inspection and non-destructive testing in enclosed, GPS-denied, and poorly lit environments. We describe current and possible future survey scenarios and the desired capabilities of an autonomous inspection drone for enclosed compartments. Then, we report status from an ongoing research project managed by DNV GL and including several industry partners. We highlight technical challenges and results on drone navigation functionalities, computer vision, hyperspectral imaging, and ultrasonic steel thickness measurements.