Drone monitors underwater infrastructure in Port of Riga
After examining the possibilities of drones in environmental monitoring and improving traffic organisation, the Freeport of Riga, the largest harbour in Latvia, is planning to apply this solution for the inspection of underwater infrastructure. To this end, the dedicated tests have been started within the port area in a partnership with DronePlan, the Latvian engineering company.
Since mid-October, the underwater drone has been monitoring hydro-technical structures of the Freeport of Riga, which has a maximum depth of 16 metres and a total length of berths of over 18 kilometres. The innovative apparatus is controlled remotely via software developed by DronePlan. Being able to dive at a depth of up to 150 metres, it is collecting data on the technical condition of the underwater infrastructure. Furthermore, it is automatically generating dedicated reports, which can be used for planning maintenance works.
Usually, the port authority of the Latvian harbour inspects the technical condition of underwater infrastructure at least once a year with the help of industrial divers. Such an approach is expensive and depends on the weather. By using unmanned solutions, the Freeport of Riga intends to enhance this process. “The port can benefit from the projects of that kind by using more efficient and modern technological solutions, while equipment manufacturers, engineers and high value-added service providers can test, adapt and improve their ideas, products and services in a real-life environment,” said Viesturs Zeps, chairman of the Freeport of Riga board.
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