Transnational Project Development Workshop on aerial drones for delivery, smart inspection and maintenance in the maritime domain
At the start of July, the Periscope network hosted another transnational project development workshop, this time covering the emerging topic of aerial drones for delivery, smart inspection and maintenance in the maritime domain.
Commercial drones are gaining in importance and acceptance. They also open up many new opportunities in the marine and maritime sector. Aerial drones for delivery, smart inspection and maintenance are only a few examples of emerging markets within this domain.
At the Periscope workshop, stakeholders from the Netherlands and Norway discussed how to utilise drone technology for inspections in enclosed spaces or for the delivery of spare parts to and from ships, platforms and other offshore installations.
The core of the discussion dealt with the question of how to provide cheaper, safer, less time-consuming and smarter alternatives for periodic survey of assets, currently undertaken manually, for instance in enclosed spaces like ballast tanks in vessels and onshore storage tanks. Ship’s ballast tanks are small spaces which are dangerous to enter and take a long time to inspect.
Arjen Uytendaal, Managing Director of Periscope partner NML stressed the "importance of business cases" for companies pursuing these opportunities. Participants provided stimulating input on market opportunities and application areas, including economic and technical feasibility.
At the follow-up meeting after the summer break, concrete business opportunities will be discussed.