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# The Elios 3 UT Payload: Revolutionizing Ship Hull Inspections
## Benefits at a Glance
| **Safety** | By utilizing the Elios 3, there's no need for work at height, scaffolding, or entering confined spaces, dramatically reducing the risks involved in ship hull or tank inspections. |
|------------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| **Speed** | The Elios 3 can be deployed within 30 minutes of arriving on-site, helping to eliminate thousands of hours spent on scaffolding. |
| **Localization** | The results from the UT drone survey using the Elios 3 can be viewed in a 3D model, making it simple to identify and revisit points of interest for further analysis or maintenance. |
| **Reporting** | C-Bird successfully completed the UTM and close-up survey needed for the ship’s 5-year periodic survey, with their data certified by a class society. |
Every vessel must undergo a thorough inspection every five years, with smaller checks required at shorter intervals. As ships age, these inspections become more frequent and rigorous—major inspections occur every 30 months for ships over 15 years old. These inspections are essential to ensure a ship remains safe to operate and can be quite costly, with ships often sitting idle in dry dock awaiting completion of work. During these inspections, the ship's hull must be examined with ultrasonic thickness (UT) measurements to guarantee structural integrity, along with visual inspections of specific areas. The focus is primarily on the midship area, which experiences the most pressure when the ship is at sea. These inspections are crucial for detecting faults that might not be visible to the naked eye or hidden within the ship’s structure. Combining ultrasonic thickness measurements (UTM) with visual surveys ensures inspectors can be confident in their findings and that the inspections meet industry standards.
## Traditional UT Inspections on Ships
Traditionally, accessing points for UT inspections and taking measurements typically takes many hours of work. Teams as large as 30 people are required to enter the space and erect scaffolding before a UT inspector can climb the structure and take measurements. Scaffolding presents inherent risks for inspectors due to working at height and can pose additional dangers to the ship itself—leftover pieces can get sucked into the tank’s pumps, causing damage that necessitates dry-docking for repairs.
The inspection process for cargo tanks aboard ships usually takes several days and requires special permits for work at height or in confined spaces. Additionally, the ship must be in dry dock during the inspection. Since dry dock charges are per day, the costs associated with slower inspection methods are significantly higher. Faster inspection methods, like using the Elios 3 UT drone, offer an attractive alternative while still collecting critical data.
The estimated cost of constructing scaffolding for surveying a 15-year-old tanker can range from $300,000 to $700,000. The ship can be out of commission for 40 to 60 days, with dry dock costs reaching between $4-6 million—this includes further inspection and/or maintenance work. Using a drone to eliminate the need for scaffolding not only enhances safety but can also drastically reduce costs.
C-Bird, a specialized ship inspection company, frequently employs the Elios 3 for UT inspections on vessels over 15 years old. C-Bird's inspectors recognize that the Elios 3 is faster than conventional methods while gathering the necessary UT and visual data required for a ship survey. This improves safety standards and helps reduce the time and money spent on scaffolding management, speeding up the overall process.
## How UT Drone Inspections Benefit the Maritime Industry
C-Bird was contracted to inspect 12 oil tanks in a medium-sized ship. Malcolm Connolly, the C-Bird CEO, was tasked with conducting gauging measurements and close-up inspections for the oil tanks inside the ship as part of its periodic survey. The ship’s tanks measured 38 x 28 x 20 meters, with six transverse web frames in each cargo oil tank (COT) and transverse bulkheads separating each COT.
For this project, Malcolm and the C-Bird team decided to use the Elios 3 and its new UT payload. The drone is capable of detailed LiDAR mapping and visual inspections. The visual aspect is crucial for periodic surveys since any visual records must be captured at arm’s length from the object being inspected. The drone can quickly gather this visual data at the required distance without an inspector needing to climb scaffolding or work in confined spaces. As one of the Flyability product advisors and beta-testers for the new UT payload, Malcolm saw this as the ideal opportunity to test how the drone and its UT probe would function in a typical NDT environment while also completing the ship’s visual inspection.
## Performing a Ship UT Inspection with the Elios 3
Rather than relying on traditional labor-intensive methods, C-Bird utilized the UT probe with two Elios drones to complete the inspection of the 12 oil tanks. They conducted the inspections with guidance from a class inspector who provided information about what needed to be tested. This drone-based inspection method was far faster than the typical scaffolding approach; once the equipment was onboard the ship, the UT inspection could begin immediately—a significant time-saving compared to the thousands of hours associated with scaffolding. C-Bird flew the Elios 3 UT drone around each tank and took measurements in several locations as specified by the inspection plan and any additional areas requested by the class surveyor. Both the UT inspections and visual inspections were completed within seven days. At the end of the flights, the pilots cross-checked with the class inspector to confirm that the Elios 3’s spot measurements matched the required number and location of measurement points.
The Elios 3 streamlined the visual inspections necessary for this process. The drone enabled pilots to gather both visual and UT data during flights, providing a close-up view of the areas being surveyed at the required distance. This allowed C-Bird to collect the information they needed twice as fast, with one drone focused on visual inspections and the other measuring UT points. This resulted in clear visual displays of points of interest and UT spot measurements.
The C-Bird team then compiled the data into the format required by the class society and submitted the inspection for review. This was significantly quicker than traditional methods since all the data collection was done in one go, eliminating the need to move around scaffolding or adjust a mobile elevation work platform (MEWP).
## Certified Results from Using the Elios 3 for a UT Ship Inspection
Following a two-year program of successful pilot projects, C-Bird and the results they produced with the Elios 3 and UT payload were certified by the American Bureau of Shipping, one of the major class societies in the world, as an approved recognized service supplier for ESP hull gauging (Enhanced Survey Program). This certification was unprecedented, highlighting the value of C-Bird’s achievements with this type of drone inspection.
Watch the Elios 3 use its live 3D model to guide the drone and make a UT measurement, marking it as a point of interest for ease of reporting.
The Elios 3 provided C-Bird with five key benefits. First, the C-Bird team could easily localize the UT spot measurements within a clear point cloud. Second, the inspector was able to access the entire space more safely than with scaffolding or alternative methods, cutting any risk exposure. Third, the drone provided reliable results certified by the class inspector. Fourth, the versatility of the Elios 3 makes it a comprehensive inspection tool that can be used in various environments with relevant payloads according to the project. Finally, C-Bird was able to deliver detailed results to the client with a clear report matching the required format for the class society. This was critical in proving the value of the drone as not only a UT inspection tool but also as an asset that can be rolled out for multiple ship inspections.
C-Bird will continue to use the Elios 3 and UT payload to perform visual and ultrasonic thickness inspections on assets across multiple industries, from maritime to oil and gas to asset management. The comprehensive results achieved with the drone set the company apart from competitors and traditional methods through the heightened speed, safety, and comprehensive data quality they achieved. This method has opened a new era for confined space and challenging UT inspections—and C-Bird can't wait to deploy the Elios 3 in new and exciting projects.
Discover more about the Elios 3 and its UT payload.
June 08, 2025