CASE C11 · ·
C-Bird: two-drone visual and UT inspection of 12 oil tanks on a ship
Ship inspection firm C-Bird used two caged drones to complete visual and UT inspection of 12 oil tanks within 7 days. Scaffolding and work at height were avoided, with a two-pilot team replacing large crews. Figures are from a manufacturer article without the ship or location, and a class surveyor still had to direct the work.
| Owner | Ship owner (not named; medium-sized ship with 12 oil tanks) |
| Provider | C-Bird |
| Location | Not stated |
| Aircraft | 2 × Flyability Elios 3 (one visual, one with UT payload) |
| Sensors | ultrasonic thickness (UT) probe, 4K video, LiDAR |
Before
Scaffolding and MEWPs in drydock with crews of 16–30; scaffolding for a 15-year-old tanker estimated at $300,000–700,000.
With drones
One drone flew visual inspection while the other took UT readings, directed and verified by the class surveyor.
Outcomes
| Metric | Value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| duration | UT and visual inspection of 12 tanks within 7 days | Reported |
| crew | 2-person piloting team vs crews of 16+ | Reported |
| work hours avoided | title claims 15,000 hours; body says 'thousands of hours' | Reported |
| class acceptance | ABS recognised C-Bird as a service supplier for ESP hull gauging by drone | Reported |
Caveats & limits
- Manufacturer case study; ship owner, location and year are not stated.
- The 15,000-hour headline is not supported by a breakdown in the text.
- A class surveyor still had to direct and verify measurements; the UT payload was in beta at the time.
Sources
- The Elios 3 UT Payload: avoiding 15,000 hours of work at height for hull inspectionsFlyability Full text read
Sources checked: 2026-10-22