Navantia Seanergies has carried out its first visual inspection of an offshore wind foundation structure using an autonomous aerial drone at its Fene shipyard in Spain.
The demonstration was conducted in the presence of representatives from offshore classification societies Bureau Veritas, DNV and Lloyd’s Register, which validated the technology during the inspection campaign.
Navantia Seanergies developed the drone system in collaboration with the Andalusian Association for Research and Industrial Cooperation (AICIA) and the Robotics, Vision and Control Research Group (GRVC) at the University of Seville.
The drone was used to inspect an offshore wind jacket structure, with live images displayed in real time at the shipyard. The system enabled inspections using standard imaging as well as optical zoom up to x40 and digital zoom up to x80 to support detailed defect detection and localisation.
According to Navantia Seanergies, the technology is intended to improve the final inspection phase for large offshore wind structures by reducing manual inspection requirements and increasing operational safety.
The company said the initiative forms part of its wider digitalisation and industrial modernisation strategy under its Coex Green Energies Centre of Excellence programme.
Navantia Seanergies and the University of Seville have previously collaborated on offshore wind inspection technologies through projects such as ePark+, which focused on autonomous inspection solutions for offshore wind farms.