$1M+ saved per vessel with indoor drone hull inspection

The challenge

Oil tanker ballast tanks are among the most dangerous confined spaces in the maritime industry. Inspecting these cavernous internal structures — often 30+ metres tall with complex internal framing — traditionally requires erecting thousands of metres of scaffolding, deploying rope-access technicians, and maintaining full confined-space safety protocols including atmospheric monitoring and rescue standby teams. A single vessel’s inspection campaign typically consumed 6 weeks in dry dock, with scaffolding alone accounting for 10,000+ labour hours and over $1 million in cost.

The environment

The solution

Flyability’s Elios drone — designed specifically for indoor and confined-space inspection — navigated ballast tanks using visual-inertial odometry (no GPS required). Its protective cage allowed controlled contact with internal structures without damage. Onboard lighting and high-resolution cameras captured detailed imagery of coatings, welds, and structural members at every elevation. Inspectors operated from outside the tank, viewing the live feed and directing the drone to areas of interest in real time.

The results

Drone inspection reduced the ballast tank survey timeline from 6 weeks to 3 days — compressing dry dock time and getting vessels back into service dramatically faster. Over 10,000 hours of scaffolding erection and dismantlement were eliminated entirely, saving more than $1 million per vessel in direct inspection costs alone.

Zero confined-space human entries were required, eliminating the single highest-risk activity in maritime inspection. The drone captured imagery at elevations and angles that would have been inaccessible even with full scaffolding, providing inspectors with more comprehensive coverage than the conventional method it replaced.