Nippon Paint Marine Hull Monitor System uses GoPro camera technology to quickly inspect the inwater condition of a vessel’s antifouling paint, says an article published in Riviera Maritime Media.
GoPro camera technology
Nippon Paint Marine Hull Monitor System uses state-of-the art GoPro camera technology attached to a 10-m telescopic pole to quickly inspect the inwater condition of a vessel’s antifouling paint. Nippon says, though simple by design, it is highly effective.
Working and advantages
How does it work?
A live video feed is relayed to the operator’s smart phone for real-time monitoring and recording.
Compact
The entire set up can easily be packed into a small case and carried as regular luggage on an aircraft.
Hull coatings inspected from shoreside
Nippon Paint Marine (NPM) technical manager Atsuhiro ’Hiro’ Yamashita said the NPM Hull Monitor has already been deployed.
He added that several vessels’ underwater hull coatings were inspected using the device from shoreside and a small boat.
“With the limitation of the pole length, it might not be able to cover entire underwater surface of the vessel, however the video image brought from the system was good enough to evaluate the underwater coating system as, in most cases, the areas around, and a certain depth from the waterline, show the most severe condition for underwater and antifouling coating systems.”
Reliable and cost effective
The aim of NPM was to develop a monitoring system that will allow underwater inspections with the following qualities:
- A quick, reliable, portable and cost-effective.
- No need for costly divers or ROVs.
About the underwater camera
The camera can record 4,000 hours of high-definition video with real-time monitoring possible via a smartphone, feeding back standardised reports to the company’s R&D or technical teams.
Underwater coating products
NPM reporting method has been especially beneficial in the development of new underwater coating products.
NPM says, by using their own underwater inspection tools, they were able to make much quicker assessment on the performance of new coating systems more effectively, rather than sending divers down.
“It allows us to speed-up the development process by checking progress over time in real-life scenarios. Our teams are now able to quickly inspect vessels wherever they are.”
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Source: Riviera Maritime Media
