New technology for ship inspection by K Line
The Japan-based carrier K Line is rolling out an innovative ship hull inspection and maintenance project, involving the use of a drone and image analysis system, together with Technos Mihara, a non-destructive testing company based in Hiroshima.
K Line says that inspecting hard-to-access ship parts, such as the top side of a cargo hold, the submerged section of a hull, etc, has always been tricky. After a series of trials with the aerial and underwater drones supplied by Technos Mihara, it was seen that inspection accuracy can be substantially improved.
The partners are now proceeding to the next step and have reached a mutual agreement to develop a new system for ship hull inspection and maintenance. A department known as the AI/digitalisation promotion division was set up in January 2019. It aims to introduce the new technology. (kd)