Inspection Services News

Aker Solutions has become the first company in Europe to secure certification for unlimited beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone operations, further advancing autonomous inspection for offshore platforms, onshore yards, process plants and industrial sitesFull BVLOS certification enables Aker Solutions to conduct autonomous operations alongside manned helicopters and aircraft, one of the most advanced and highest risk authorizations approved by European and national civil aviation authorities.This ensures zero interference with helideck operations…

Skyports Drone Services, a firm specializing in drone delivery and inspection services for healthcare, maritime, logistics and energy use cases, has been conducting a series of Proof-of-Concept Ship-to-Shore beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) drone flights and deliveries in Michigan’s Great Lakes region.Conducted in partnership with the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT), the Michigan Office of Future Mobility and Electrification (OFME) and Newlab, the trial is operating from DeTour…

The U.S. Treasury Department imposed sanctions on more than 20 companies in a network that it said has long sent Iranian oil to China, days after negotiators from Iran and the United States concluded a fourth round of nuclear talks.The network facilitated the shipment of oil worth billions of dollars to China on behalf of Iran’s Armed Forces General Staff and its front company, Sepehr Energy, Treasury said. Washington designated Sepehr in 2023.The U.S. sanctioned companies including CCIC Singapore PTE…

The Pentagon last Friday announced that nine companies have been awarded contracts for repair, maintenance and modernization of U.S. Navy’s non-nuclear surface ships homeported or visiting the Northwest United States.The total value of the multiple award contract is a combined $944 million. The scope of work is for continuous maintenance, emergent maintenance, and Chief of Naval Operations availabilities, which are short-term or less than 10-months in duration.The nine companies are East Coast Repair & Fabrication…

INEOS Forties Pipeline System (FPS) has selected Liebherr for the supply of a new Ram Luffing (RL) series offshore crane for its Unity Platform in the UK North Sea.After more than 30 years of service, the currently installed RL crane on the Unity Platform has run its course, and will be replaced by Liebherr’s RL 650 technology.The RL 650 crane, said to be particularly suitable for a Not Permanently Attended Installation (NPAI), will fulfil all material handling for the offshore platform…

Oslo-listed offshore service company Argeo has informed that its DP2 vessel Argeo Searcher completed the deepwater inspection services at Shell’s Bonga field, and is scheduled to set sail to Indian Ocean for a job with India’s National Centre for Polar and Ocean Research (NCPOR).In a vessel schedule update, released on January 22, 2024, Argeo confirmed its current backlog includes close to $53 million (NOK 550 million), with a further sales and revenue potential of additional $19 million (NOK 200) million for Argeo Searcher vessel in the second half of 2024.According to the company…

Maritime intelligence and inspection services company Idwal announced it has launched a new vessel-level Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) report.The report, Idwal said, is intended to offer visibility into the ESG performance of an individual asset, including how corporate principles translate into onboard understanding and adherence, establishing a new industry standard for assessing and monitoring ESG strategies at a granular level.The company said it has developed the ESG standard over the last year…

Wilhelmsen Ship Management has appointed Felina Lin as its new Vice President of Services and New Growth.Responsible for growing the company's ship management’s service portfolio, Lin  will launch conventional and innovative services that supplement Wilhelmsen Ship Management's core business, the company said.Lin brings in over a decade of commercial experience from her role working in ship owner and ship manager for the offshore and marine segment. Having a full spectrum of all dimensions…

French offshore vessel services firm Bourbon has set up a new division dedicated to offshore wind called Bourbon Wind, which will support the group's ambition to become a major player in the entire value chain: pre-studies,  transport and installation services, field maintenance, floaters repair, and personnel transport. Bourbon Wind will coordinate all the group's activities in the offshore wind field, creating important cross-functional synergies:  Bourbon Subsea Services for development studies…

Maritime Robotics' new multi-purpose Unmanned Surface Vehicle (USV) platform, the Mariner X, is the company's most configurable and optimizable USV platform to date, built to deliver high-quality data acquisition at sea.The first operator of the new Mariner X USV platform is Argeo. Dubbed Argus, Argeo’s first unmanned survey and inspection vehicle is intended to exploit the strong demand for accurate ocean mapping, especially within the growing offshore wind market. The Argus…

Classification society Bureau Veritas (BV) said it can now provide owners and operators with new ways to survey their ships through Remote Inspection Techniques operated by BV’s own surveyors in France. The company said it aims to leverage digital technologies to deliver its inspection services more safely and efficiently.BV’s key objective with the use of RIT is to limit the use of costly and dangerous means of access, by replacing them with safer and more efficient technologies during the structural inspection of the hull.

Classification society Lloyd's Register (LR) announced Thursday it has acquired GreenSteam, a marine data intelligence company specializing in improving vessel efficiency through machine learning. The acquisition will be integrated and managed by i4 Insight, a subsidiary of Lloyd’s Register. i4 Insight, part of LR's Maritime Performance Services business, is a digital platform that allows shipowners, operators and charterers to access insights on vessel performance and fuel consumption across their fleets.

British professional services provider Lloyd’s Register (LR) has agreed to sell its business assurance and cyber security division to Goldman Sachs Asset Management as the company focuses on maritime activities, executives said on Tuesday.The deal is expected to be completed during the second half of 2021 subject to regulatory approval, the companies said.When asked about the value of the transaction, an LR spokeswoman said it “exceeds $100 million”.LR’s business assurance & inspection…

Testing, inspection and certification body Bureau Veritas (BV) said it has completed the proof of concept project for underwater remote surveys using the Seasam remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV technology eco-system from Notilo Plus on a Corsica Linea car ferry Mediterranée. Efficient underwater inspection of shipping vessels is important for the industry as a substitute for docking surveys at agreed intervals or to inspect hull damage. BV has been evaluating opportunities…

This article will focus on conflicts of laws stemming from the EU Blocking Statute and U.S. antiboycott law, both of which are intended to prevent parties from complying with a disfavored sanctions regime. The article will highlight some of the inherent conflicts in dealing with multiple conflicting sanctions regimes. It follows our comprehensive summary of sanctions and shipping, which covered several of the issues herein in some detail.Antiboycott law: in generalAntiboycott law is essentially the inverse of sanctions law.

As COVID-19 continues to challenge many business plans and practices, the advent of remote inspection techniques is growing in popularity. What is reported to be the world’s first in-water remote ship surveys using a remotely operated vehicle (ROV) have been completed by DNV GL.In-water bottom surveys using ROVs have now been carried out on three separate Wilson ASA-managed vessels with the first having been completed on the Wilson Fedje in December 2019 by a surveyor from Høvik. The survey was performed earlier in July on another ASA Wilson-managed vessel in Bergen, Norway.

Greek drone inspection services provider NextWave Hellas said it received certification from classification society RINA for remote inspection techniques through the use of aerial drones. This will allow NextWave Hellas and its team of pilots to reduce safety risks associated with inspections while simultaneously offering a more cost-efficient solution for clients, the company said.Manolis Chochlakis, NextWave Hellas' head of business development, said, “One of the clearest use cases for drones is in surveying.

UK-based wind energy installation and maintenance company 3sun Group has won Vattenfall  contract to carry out statutory inspections across its offshore and onshore wind farms in five countries.The deal, which will result in the creation of up to 30 new jobs, will cover 50 onshore and offshore wind farms in the UK, Denmark, Germany, Netherlands and Sweden.3sun Group, which already employs 200 technicians, will carry out statutory inspections across the Swedish energy group’s 50 onshore and offshore windfarms in five countries, in the UK, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Sweden.Danielle Lane, Vattenfall’s UK Country Manager, said: “Vattenfall is delighted to sign up 3sun Group…

Oil & natural gas company Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP) has awarded AqualisBraemar a frame agreement to conduct rig inspection services for the operator.The agreement is valid for three years with an option to extend the contract for additional periods of three times one year, said the Norway-based global company that provides, through its subsidiaries and associates, consultancy services to the energy, marine and insurance sectors.Oslo-listed AqualisBraemar – a result of the recent unification between Aqualis Offshore and Braemar Technical Services – will provide rig inspection services, engineering and training services to Brunei Shell Petroleum Company Sdn Bhd (BSP).AqualisBraemar will manage the contract out of its office in Malaysia…

The Indian Register of Shipping (IRClass) has secured an order for providing classification services for nine floating border out posts (FBOPs) and 36 patrol boats of the Border Security Force (BSF).IRClass, a 'Preferred Partner' to the Indian Navy, has considerably increased the range of its services to Ministry of Home Affairs in classing and certifying water crafts for paramilitary forces.The Ministry, in turn, has reciprocated by stipulating that the FBOPs, besides being built to IRClass rules, are also maintained in class for 13 years after delivery. In addition, the scope of inspection services ordered on IRClass for these vessels extends well beyond standard class requirements.The FBOPs are self-propelled and are equipped with navigation…

Two Belgian companies - Aerospace industry supplier SABCA and DEME Offshore - have formed a partnership to use drones for inspection services in the offshore wind energy industry.SABCA, a leading tier 1 aerospace industry supplier and DEME Offshore, a worldwide leader in solutions and services for the offshore energy market, have entered into a partnership for the development and deployment of Unmanned Vehicles to perform surveillance and inspection works in the offshore industry.Complementing each other’s core experience and know-how, both companies are convinced that these innovative, advanced technologies have a game-changing potential to increase health and safety of their employees…

... one year after the commandant’s Final Action Memo on the El Faro sinking.“… the Coast Guard is ultimately responsible to monitor the performance of third parties that perform delegated functions and also to guarantee the effectiveness of vessel inspections and surveys. Yet the Coast Guard failed to adequately oversee the third party in this case, and the investigation reveals that the Coast Guard has not sustained the proficiency and policy framework to do so in general. The…

A new alliance aims to shake up traditional asset management and engineering inspection services in North America.Partners DCL Rigging & Mooring (DCL) and Aerostar Drone Solutions Inc. intend to utilize advanced, multiple-imaging sensors on unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) to dramatically lower the cost of conducting engineering surveys and inspection engagements.“We are using our 50 years of combined industry and engineering experience to develop alternative inspection techniques utilizing UAV technology,” said Darren Jackson, President of Aerostar.