Underwater Inspection in Lieu of Drydocking by SeaVision Marine

When a hull inspection is required – such as the two inspections of the outer hull of all sea-going vessels required every five years by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) and the US Coast Guard (USCG) – the solution is normally an expensive drydock trip. One of these two inspections can be carried out underwater while the vessel is afloat, a so-called Underwater Inspection in Lieu of Drydocking (UWILD) survey.

Divers can often accomplish the task, but ROVs are ideal due to their thoroughness and detailed recordkeeping, not to mention the speed with which inspections can be carried out, which is becoming important due to the increasing number of ships that need to be inspected.

SeaVision Marine Services LLC recently completed two UWILD inspections on vessels operated by one of the major off shore support vessel companies in the Gulf of Mexico that are homeported in the brown waters of Port Fourchon.

“We used two inspection class ROVs from SeaBotix, in which the Integrated Control Console was equipped with LYYN™ image enhancement boards. The LYYN™ visual enhancement was critical to the overall performance. Even after traveling thirty miles off shore we only had about 5 to 8 feet of visibility, but the LYYN™ unit really helped to clear up the imagery.”

Read the full Case Story: SeaVisionMarine Services, Hull inspection