Esvagt Elevates Inspection Game with Drones

Danish operator of offshore wind service operation vessels (SOVs) Esvagt has added drone inspection to its list of offered services.

Most recently, the Esvagt Champion assisted with the drone inspection of wind turbine blades and towers on the 80 wind turbines at the 400MW BARD Offshore 1 wind farm in the German part of the North Sea.

The inspection was carried out in cooperation with AtSite A/S, a Danish company specialising in inspection, analysis and database solutions for blades and main components for wind turbines.

A drone inspection is a visual inspection of the surfaces and edges of the turbine blade and takes approximately 25 minutes per turbine. In comparison, an inspection with rope access takes between a half and a whole day per turbine and involves working at heights and personnel transfer between vessel and TP, Esvagt said.

Using a vessel as central base for the drone inspections, the wind farm can be quickly, safely and efficiently inspected.

“You save a great deal of time. This service is relevant for many,” said Mads Obling Rasmussen, CEO for AtSite A/S.

At the same time as the drone inspection, AtSite A/S also collected photo documentation from the Esvagt Champion of the wind turbine foundations and the substation.