Subsea ROVs & Aerial Drones Transform NDT for Maritime Industrial Assets

Dutch Non-Destructive Testing specialist Ned Marine has expanded its global inspection capabilities by launching new aerial drone and subsea Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) services aimed at European maritime and industrial markets.

The newly introduced remote services enable faster, safer, and more efficient inspections of vessels, offshore installations, and industrial assets both above and below water, including confined spaces. By utilizing these unmanned systems for visual inspections and ultrasonic thickness measurements, the company can access challenging environments without the need for traditional scaffolding, rope access, or diving operations.

This approach minimizes human exposure to hazardous environments and drastically reduces operational downtime, which is particularly relevant for seagoing container vessels and tankers.

The implementation of these flying inspections allows projects to be completed within hours rather than days, cutting inspection times by up to four times and significantly lowering overall costs compared to conventional methods. Typical applications include tank storage facilities, offshore and onshore wind turbines, industrial structures, and confined spaces on board vessels such as ballast tanks and cargo holds.

For underwater assets, the subsea ROVs can operate at depths of up to 300 meters, serving as a practical and cost-efficient alternative to traditional diving operations. These subsea units provide high-definition live video streams and detailed inspection data to support hull inspections, cathodic protection assessments, structural condition monitoring, and pre-docking surveys.

Leo Zwagemaker, Commercial Manager at Ned Marine, commented, “We are very proud to launch this new service! By integrating arial drone and ROV technology into our NDT services, we can allow our clients to further reduce downtime and make better-informed maintenance decisions. The fact that our inspectors can now also work remotely, with real-time data accessible worldwide, also adds value: this method improves decision-making and facilitates a more seamless collaboration between vessel operators, surveyors and technical teams.”

These advanced remote technologies are fully integrated into the company’s existing Non-Destructive Testing portfolio, which encompasses Visual Testing, Ultrasonic Thickness Measurements, and detailed inspection reporting. By combining visual data, precise measurement results, and digital analysis, asset owners receive a comprehensive overview of equipment condition, facilitating improved maintenance planning and mitigating the risk of unexpected structural failures.