These are tough times for many companies. In the COVID-19 period, there is often less work to be found, people are less willing to attend demonstrations and there are generally fewer investments. This often makes it harder to survive. But what if an investment can save or bring in a lot of money? Is it worth using reserves to save costs in the long run? See here whether buying an underwater drone can be really rewarding!

Asset management costs without inspections

Assets must be inspected regularly to prevent large-scale maintenance and to deal quickly with minor problems. Often, the government also stipulates that assets must be inspected periodically (every 10-25 years).

To save costs, an asset such as a bridge culvert may not be inspected for a year. This means that the costs are lower in that year, but it can cause problems in the long run!

It is precisely the large cost items that must be avoided in uncertain times, and so the focus can be on small preventative inspections to avoid this!

Costs of traditional inspections

Traditional inspections are carried out with divers, by engineering firms. You can hire this independent party to inspect the asset.

The cost of hiring is often arranged at a fixed price per day, or a fixed price for the total service.

Hiring means low costs, but these are costs that are often asked for. Certainly in the short term this will be a solution to avoid high costs, but is this also something for the long term?

 

Costs of inspections with an underwater drone

Unlike a diving team, you can also buy an underwater drone!

Buying an ROV is, of course, a one-off expense that is higher than hiring a team. But in the long run it can certainly save costs.

When you buy an underwater drone with sonar, the cost is around €60,000. This is a substantial investment, but one that will pay for itself within a few inspections!

A diving team always costs at least €2,500, and based on a simple calculation you will have earned back your ROV within 25 inspections!

Staff costs are always lower than hiring externally, so this can be a really good option to keep costs down in the long run. Also, a drone provides additional application possibilities, which can be a differentiator from competitors.

So if you need to inspect regularly, it may be smart to bring in expertise! This really does save money in the long run, something that is important for every company!

 

Renting an underwater drone

Should this one-off investment not fit into the budget, that’s no problem! In order to also help the smaller budgets, or companies that do not need to inspect as often, we also offer our services.

This means that you can rent our drone. However, an advanced drone, with sonar, can sometimes be difficult to operate.

That is why we offer our drone experts at every inspection! These are always inspectors with a background in hydraulic engineering, underwater inspection or diving! So they always know what to look for and how to proceed.

This also saves you a lot of time, because we take all the work off your hands. This does not mean that you have no control! You can take a look yourself, and highlight or adjust certain aspects. The reporting can be done entirely by our team, or the data can be transferred to you.

It might be useful to know that we ‘only’ charge €2150 per day, which is often cheaper than for example diving teams!

ROVs can work best in a data-oriented way!

An underwater drone has underwater control through many instruments that can be applied. Because you can always watch the underwater images from the shore, you have complete control! The images you take are also stored so that they can always be viewed later. Both the images of the camera and those of the sonar can be viewed!

This way, working by touch is no longer necessary! With a camera and sonar, you can always look underwater and work in a data-oriented way. This gives the best results for reports and maintenance planning.

The data can therefore always be looked back on, and it is possible to inspect exactly the same places every year via sensors. This way, you can see your position in the water live, and exactly overlap with a previous inspection. This gives the best results in terms of wear and possible damage.

 

The stored data can be used in many programmes. For example, the sonar images can be stored in a programme, viewed and deviations can be measured. This shows the exact extent of a problem, and a plan can be written to solve it. (In the picture you can see a sonar image from one of our inspections, with a straight line to get a good view of an anomaly!)

 

So you can always rely on reliable data and in the long run really save costs! You invest for the future, and the future can be brought into your home with underwater drones!

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Do you have questions about the possibilities of an ROV in your area of expertise, or would you like to know more about the costs? Then get in contact with us! To see how we work with underwater drones, you can follow us on social media!

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Gear in the sea: Ghost Diving and H2O Drones clean it up together

H2O Drones is now a proud sponsor of the Ghost Diving charity. This is a foundation dedicated to cleaning up the sea. They fish fishing gear out of the water in, among others, the North Sea, but also all over the world.

Chairman Pascal van Erp has been in the business for a long time. “We are actually a group of divers who have been active in the North Sea since 2007/2009, for example to fish fishing gear out of the water. That escalated a little, because more and more people joined in. Then we transformed into a foundation and we keep growing. We now have about 50 divers and a core team.”

Giant pollution in the North Sea

Van Erp explains that their goal is not something you can avoid. At the bottom of the North Sea, there are a lot of shipwrecks with polluting fishing gear. “Really an incredible amount. Around ten thousand.” There was a lot of fishing in the North Sea in the 1950s and, due to various mistakes, the bottom was contaminated with fishing gear. For example, it goes overboard or is left behind. “It’s so full of gear there, it’s almost impossible to describe. The problem is the material of the fishing gear. There are some studies that describe the sustainability of fishing gear, but it takes so long for it to break down that those studies are more suggestions than facts. That’s where we came from.”

Ghost Diving is particularly active in the North Sea and in the Mediterranean Sea. “If we have to go far away for an operation, we immediately turn it into a week-long project. For example, when we had to recover a net from a fish farm in Italy. We had to lift this gigantic three-ton net from 35 metres. In the end, we succeeded with six divers.”

Aggressive fishermen

The problem is so big that the foundation is doing everything it can to combat it. Sometimes, however, they are thwarted by fisheries. “They don’t want it to get out that it’s so dirty. Sometimes there is even some aggression when we are working. The fishermen just want to work at any cost. In Belgium, people didn’t want to work with us because they got threats from fisheries if they did.”

Ghost Diving also works with environmental organisations such as Greenpeace. From Europe to South Africa, they have helped with jobs. “Busy we are, unfortunately. I have just returned from Egypt and will soon be leaving for Greece. When fishing, a boat loses fishing gear. If you consider how much fishing takes place in the world, you can imagine how much pollution is caused by this gear.”

New teammate: underwater drone
Some time ago, Ghost Diving was approached by Deep Trekker about using an underwater drone. “They sent a drone to us that we worked with briefly for a while,” says Ghost Diving’s director. Karst Beens, director of H2O Drones, saw this pass by and became interested in the foundation. “He then called us later that he wanted to enter into a sponsorship.” H2O Drones is based in the Netherlands and not in Canada, like Deep Trekker. For Van Erp, this is a big advantage for the cooperation. “It saves for us in communication and location. We needed someone with a lot of expertise and understanding of the water world and Karst has more than proved that. He has already gone with us a couple of times, together with the drone. Those were very successful days. It was very useful that he was with us, because we knew nothing about the drone. After such a day we were convinced that H2O Drones had to be our partner in crime.”

H2O Drones ensures progress

Van Erp emphasises that knowledge about drones and the underwater world is very important to their foundation. “The help we get from H2O Drones is very valuable to us. They offer the right support and have the right knowledge. When we use it in our environment, we get a lot of positive reactions and notice the curiosity about the underwater drones.”

According to Ghost Diving, the drones are ideal for the continuity of the work. In some places in the North Sea, it is sometimes too dangerous to dive or divers are not allowed to dive at all. A drone is then ideal for inspecting the underwater environment. “The divers are often in danger underwater, because water is unpredictable.” A drone can keep an eye on the divers or even do some of the diver’s work if the conditions are too risky to dive. “It also saves a lot of money and a lot of time, because we don’t have to send a whole team underwater, for example. A drone can watch everything and ensure safety. Even in murky water, because they are equipped with sonar.”

For the umpteenth time, we got confronted with the bad name of drones. We are talking to a new client who has had very bad experiences with underwater drones and does not want to do anything with them anymore…

They have bought a machine where nice promises of the selling party led to high expectations that afterwards were not fulfilled in any way. Of course, they share these bad experiences with their network and that is how the underwater drone gets a bad image.

Completely unjustified! Why unjustified? We are happy to tell you more below.

Our customers are spread across the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany and have often had to deal with a ‘bad’ underwater drone. Often underwater drones from the cheaper price class with a promising 4k camera that can make great images. Often promotional videos of these kinds of drones are published on YouTube in beautiful clear water of ‘Mediterranean’ quality.

That seems too good to be true!

YES, it is often too good to be true. In the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany, the water is so turbid that visibility is very limited, which means that you can hardly see under water with a camera. On top of that, even if you have one metre of visibility under water, you are completely disoriented under water because you can only see one metre, or very often even less, in front of you and you really don’t know where you are under water!

We are of the opinion that an underwater drone only provides added value if it has the right tools such as sonar.

And what are you doing with an underwater drone if you can’t see anything and you don’t know where you are?

Of course, this can be a two-way street. Customers often have no idea what is needed underwater and this can be labelled as a ‘blind purchase’. But also, little information is given about this from companies selling the underwater drones! The images you see on the website are often of crystal clear water, something you can only see in a swimming pool in our area!

Many drones are offered at very low prices through web shops, often from Chinese manufacture for less than €1000 delivered to your home. This is of course dirt cheap… but what do you get for it? What can you do with it and how long do these products last? All these machines have a reasonable camera and that is it. Products are of very poor quality, have a very short technical lifespan and refuse to work after just a few uses.

“Looks nice in the cupboard, anyone can look at it”.

The other day we had a conversation with an employee of a public Search and Rescue team, who stated that he already owned a drone that was purchased only a year ago. It turned out to be a cheap drone with only a camera that they couldn’t use at all. In other words, it didn’t work for a single second.

The drone is therefore stored full-time in a cupboard, where only dust gets to it. A waste of investment, time and money.

Market leader. 

Even the market leader (manufacturer and sales) in the field of underwater drones is making a mess of things. They sell packages that the customer has to put together himself and make operational.  In these packages, the customer can also choose from various accessories that very often do not do what they promise. There is no physical service point in Europe, and the quality of each component is unacceptable for professional use.

As far as we are concerned, this is never the solution to ensure the proper deployment of a professional underwater drone.  Because in this way, even the good companies are threatened by a bad image of the products in this emerging market. Despite many different attempts to clear the name of the underwater drones, unfortunately we still hear far too often of bad experiences.

This slows down market developments and technology, so that underwater drones often do not get the chance they deserve.

The H2O Drones difference:

With us you buy the right machine and we will be happy to tell you more. Our core business is safety and quality under water. This is only possible if the drones are of good quality and the operators are well trained to get the optimal result from inspections. The quality of working under water is not only determined by a well-equipped underwater drone, but certainly also by the operator.

Without these two points of attention, inspections and rescues with underwater drones are not good enough and they often remain on the shelf as a misbuy… And this while underwater drones really are the future.

H2O Drones does give good service!

• We only sell you a machine if we are convinced that it will add value for you. No fairy tales!
• Together with you we put together the right machine for you in our sales and rental process.
• Always quick repair possibilities or a replacement machine!
• Course and training to help everyone get the most out of the underwater drone.
• In a consultation we look together at your ideal composition of the drone!
• If necessary, we will help you with inspections!

We like to show that it is possible. Drones are the future and nobody has to wait to get the future in their house.

Always be well and extensively advised when buying and always use an extensive demo on location. Never be led by beautiful videos because this often does not correspond with the situation in which you will work!

Underwater drones are crucial for underwater inspections and always work: SAFE, EFFECTIVE AND DATA-ORIENTED

In the years to come, underwater drones will be used more and more, so you will undoubtedly come across them. Do not let us make you think you have a bad experience, ask us what is best for you and your company!

Feel free to call us about the possibilities, we are happy to provide you with a free demo ! You can also follow us on LinkedIn to stay on top of our recent developments!

Recently, our services were deployed to inspect a steel dam wall. This was due to a subsidence of the pavement behind the quay. The possible cause of the subsidence was unknown, the dam wall above water showed no defects.

During our inspection it appeared that locally in front of the dam wall large sink holes had been created by the propeller action of mooring vessels. At one of these locations the dam wall appeared to have partially collapsed at a depth of 6 metres below water level. The dam wall had sagged by more than 80 centimetres towards the front. This was the direct cause of the subsidence of the pavement behind the quay.

 

Poor visibility due to turbid water!

During the inspection, it soon became clear that the sheet piling could not be inspected with just a pair of eyes or a camera. Visibility was limited to approximately 40 centimetres. Turbid water restricted visibility, meaning that defects that could only be observed over longer lengths could not be recognised with the naked eye. Hence our claim:

The right sonar is indispensable for a good inspection!

 

Sonar images from the ROV

At first glance, the sonar images also showed nothing wrong with the dam wall. This was actually a confirmation of the camera images. We did not discover any cracks, fractures or broken elements.

However, there was something wrong, something we only found at the end of the inspection!

We found a failure in the dam wall at a depth of 5 metres! Above water, the dam wall had been held in place by the anchors, but 5 metres below water level the dam wall had partially collapsed. This could only be seen when zooming out on the sonar, which makes it possible to compare images at a longer distance.

Because of the longer distance, it was easy to see that the dam wall itself was no longer straight. We were able to measure this out nicely with a programme!

 

 

What made this mission a success?

The mission was actually a success due to three factors:

-Revolution ROV

-Sonar

-Experience of the drone operator

Without sonar images, we would never have noticed the curvature of the dam wall. This can only be seen from a greater distance. Eyes alone or a camera would therefore not have been able to detect it. This is why we use the sonar of Blueprint Subsea!

To exploit the qualities of a good sonar, it is important that it is mounted on the right underwater drone! In this case, the Revolution ROV contains accessories that allow it to hang straight in the water, in the same place. This is exactly why images can be viewed well, during and after the inspection.

This is also due to the rotating head in the Revolution! This allows you to remain suspended in the water while moving the front of the drone. The head of the drone contains the camera and sonar. This way you can move from one spot to another and get the ideal images from an inspection.

The last point is of course also important: The experience of the drone operator.

For example, our drone operator saw that there was a bend when he zoomed out with the sonar. By using experience and looking for different possible causes of a problem, we get a lot of results. In addition, our operator had also mastered the drone so well that the right images were made. This simply means that the machine itself is not enough, because even with the best equipment, people still need to look closely at the images. The underwater drone is the best tool for this!

It is actually an easy conclusion: without the sonar on the Revolution, this would never have happened!

Processing in reports!

It is nice that the images have been made, but then? We worked this out for our client in a report in which the exact cause and effect are elaborated. The dam wall had partially collapsed, which led to subsidence behind the dam wall!

In addition to our report, we also gave advice on how to solve the problem and prevent it from happening again in the future. No strings attached, but H2O Drones has over 30 years of experience with underwater work and understanding of the assets. This way we help to make the world a better and safer place with every assignment!

You can see the image report in our YouTube video below!

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Do you also want to inspect a dam wall? Or an (online) demo? Please contact us about the possibilities! Follow us on social media to stay informed about our developments! Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube.

After an underwater inspection, we can create a report for you of our findings with the underwater drone! These reports easily record everything we have inspected in one document, giving you a complete overview of your asset and its state of repair! Now there is black and white information on whether there is damage, what the extent of this is and if a follow-up plan is needed! It is also possible that your asset is still in perfect condition…. That is good news and useful to know.

What does our reporting consist of?

H2O Drones performs underwater inspections from which reports are generated. The reports are made complete by the information gathered from the inspection, where you can name any focus. The report states what was inspected, how this was done and what the results of the investigation were. Based on this examination, a thorough analysis of the footage is performed where results are obtained. The results of the analysis of the inspection are then recorded in the report. As a final part of the report, we write a recommendation for a follow-up plan (if necessary). This is where our expertise in hydraulic engineering comes in, as H2O Drones likes to think along with you! This way you know exactly where you stand and whether any repair or replacement work needs to be done.

• Assignment
• Footage
• Results (after analysis)
• Summary of the results

 

How does a report come about?

Everything in the reports is based on our own work. In fact, all information is extracted from images taken by one of our drones. This is then neatly formatted into a Pdf file for the best ease of use. For the reports is always a (fixed) price discussed with the customer, so there are no surprises afterwards. The reports are optional, another possibility is that you get the raw data (the footage unededited) and you make your own analysis where results are obtained.

Why is good reporting so important?

The reports are particularly important to get the results analyzed properly. Besides the fact that we normally only send the footage, we especially analyze the points where there are often problems or where problems can be expected. Since one of our inspectors made the footage, he or she is in the best position to read what can be found on them!

We also often use sonar footage, which are very difficult to read without experience. In the picture below you can see such a sonar image. At H2O Drones we understand underwater structures and can therefore see very well what is going on with your assets. This provides extra assurance and ensures that the optimum results are achieved from your inspection!

We used the image of our sonar footage for an actual inspection. We did this for a dutch company, which explains the dutch text boxes. They read the following:

-Deposition of dredged sludge in width (upper text box)

-Joint transition in concrete tube (lower text box)

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Do you have questions that have not been answered here? Or would you like to have a conversation with one of our experts? Then contact us here, or follow us on our social media: Facebook & LinkedIn!

Avoid obstructing locks!

Locks are essential assets that ensure a smooth flow and accessibility of the Dutch waterways. It is of great importance that locks function properly to avoid disruption on the waterway.

The importance of underwater drone inspections at locks:

Preventive inspection is always one of our most important principles. By performing an inspection before a problem occurs, you can save a lot of money and time. As mentioned before, locks are of great importance in the waterways, but what can go wrong with a lock that makes it (temporarily) unusable?

There can be a lot of foreign soil materials that get into the lock:

• Materials falling from a ship;
• Materials thrown into the water;
• Materials dislodged from existing soil protection.

Often the bottom of a lock is filled with inlaid stones in a concrete floor. Propeller blasts from passing ships occasionally cause stones to come loose. A loose stone in itself is not a problem, as long as it does not hit one of the rebates of the lock doors. If foreign matter enters the rebate of the lock gate, the lock gate may not close or may not close completely. This will result in a malfunction and often an obstruction of the lock.

Shipping will be obstructed and great economic damage will occur!

 

Preventive vs. corrective inspection:

With our ROVs – which are equipped with a Forward Looking Sonar – the user is able to detect preventively and possibly remove. The Sonar scans the entire floor of the lock chamber for foreign materials in a short period of time. Immediately after an object has been located we take a closer look at it with our underwater drone and analyze how this object can be removed. Often the object can also be salvaged using the underwater drone with aids without hindrance to shipping.

If removal is not possible with one of our drones, the client can choose to remove the materials in another way, for example using a crane vessel or divers.

In addition, the underwater drones with sonar can be used for periodic condition surveys, for example to inspect the lock walls, but also the fences and pipelines. In the lock chamber we can also check drowning ladders and perform sheet piling inspections in the outer harbors!

Preferably you work preventively rather than correctively. After all, prevention is better than cure! But what if this is no longer possible?

If it is already too late to inspect preventively because problems have occurred, we can still help you! We can assess the extent of problems, provide reporting and help with damage reports. With over 30 years of expertise in marine construction and assets underwater, we can provide advice if needed.

 

So what are the benefits of a drone during lock inspections?

By using sonar, underwater inspections can always be made, even in turbid water. In addition, (anomalous/unfamiliar objects) can be detected more quickly than with a camera or a pair of eyes. The data can be viewed live or reviewed and analyzed at a later stage using smart programs. This allows you to look at images with several people and come to a common conclusion.

For safety, the use of a drone is also a big advantage. No deployment of people under water where it is not strictly necessary! No disturbance on the waterway due to the deployment of a diving team. When you own a drone, you can inspect with a drone at any time of the day. Shipping does not have to deal with this and the drone also does not have an on-call basis which means you have to wait longer. This makes periodic inspection very easy!

Do you want to know more about inspecting locks? Would you like to purchase a drone yourself or take our advice as experts? Then get in touch with us! Always stay up to date with our developments by following us on one of our social media channels: Linkedin, Facebook and YouTube!

 

Inspecting construction pits is something that is important for working safely. Thanks to our drones, this can be done quickly and easily, and you have reliable proof that this was done properly, since you can always take another look at the footage.

Why should construction pits be inspected

We inspect construction pits to find out if:

• The sheet piling has not run out of lock.
• The soil has been properly excavated.
• The sheet piling is clean and free of soil.
• The reinforcement has been properly installed before the concrete can be poured.

We do this to find out if the construction pit is ready to have concrete poured into it.

Why our drones?

• Optimal result
• Efficiency
• Maximum safety
• Underwater orientation

Often such a construction pit is inspected by divers, but with our drones you have the best possible result. It is faster, more efficient and offers maximum safety. With a drone you can find out many more details. A diver goes into the water once, and if they overlook something (which is of course human) it can become a problem. With a drone, thanks to the camera and the sonar, you can gain exact images and information, and always view and review footage. The sonar gives you an overview, and thus orientation underwater, which is something you can never probaply achieve with a diver.

Our sonar

Thanks to our sonar, you have a complete overview of what is happening. This applies to all the water around the drone, so there is more then just a scan of the bottom. Underwater visibility is mostly limited to one or two meters, but with a sonar you can see up to forty meters ahead. This helps enormously with orientation in the construction pit. By also zooming in on objects, you can see everything in detail from a proper distance!

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Do you have questions that are not covered here? Or would you like to have a conversation with one of our experts? Then contact us here, or follow us on our social media: Facebook & LinkedIn!

 

Underwater inspections are often done in conditions where the water is not 100% clean. As a result, visibility is reduced and the results of an inspection are often not as good. Besides the water itself being dirty, often the assets under the waterline are not clean either. This is not always a problem, but it can lead to incomplete reports. That is why we offer an extra option: pre-cleaning of the assets that need to be inspected!

Why do assets need to be cleaned underwater?

In addition to the above arguments, there are a number of other issues that come into play during underwater inspections. For example, dirt from the bottom can loosen and obstruct the camera’s view. In addition, a dirty bottom or wall cannot be properly inspected for possible cracks if they cannot be seen because of a thick layer of dirt!

It is of course important to us that the water is clean enough for an inspection. In dirty water with a lot of loose litter or plant debris, the drone’s motors can get stuck. When this happens, the drone must be retrieved to remove the jammed material. This obviously takes some time and it hinders the (optimal) results!

What can we clean with our ROVs?

H2O Drones can clean different assets underwater for you! Different situations also require different cleaning.

For example, in a bridge culvert you can think of:

• ‘vacuuming’ the bottom;
• Spot cleaning parts of the wall;
• Flushing the bridge culvert itself to remove floating debris.

Of course, these points are not only possible for a bridge culvert, but can be used in various settings:

• Cleaning riser poles + quay walls to determine condition!
• Drinking water tanks cleaning of possible sludge to keep the water clean;
• Pré-dive inspection: cleaning up potentially hazardous objects before a dive.

How do we do this?

We really do the ‘vacuuming’ of the bottom with a kind of underwater vacuum cleaner!

 

With this vacuum cleaner a lot of silt can be removed quickly! All the silt and sand is sucked up under the suction head and can be discharged there.

We do spot cleaning with our Cavi-Blaster! The Cavi-Blaster can remove growth and dirt from walls, poles and partitions with high pressure. This makes it possible to inspect the condition of a wooden pole or to perform a thickness measurement in a small space.

Short and long-term benefits

In the short term, of course, you have a clean pipe and a complete report! This complete report can be of great importance for the longer term, on which maintenance or replacement plans can be based. Of course, a clean pipeline also gives you more peace of mind; you will always know exactly what is going on under the waterline and you will be able to move forward for years to come!

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