- Write by:
-
Friday, October 12, 2018 - 2:12:32 PM
-
786 Visit
-
Print
Mining News Pro - BHP is trialing drones to inspect its ocean freight operations, building on the successful integration of the technology at mine sites.
According to Mining News Pro -BHP is trialing drones to inspect its ocean freight operations, building on the successful integration of the technology at mine sites.
The major miner uses drones at coal mines in Queensland such as Goonyella to check areas during blasting setups and to document the fumes that are generated.
Fitting drones with high-quality cameras at these sites saves BHP around $5 million a year when compared with equivalent plane costs.
The company also uses drones at the Olympic Dam operation in South Australia for the inspection of tall areas such as cranes and towers.
Marine drones can be used for a multitude of tasks in an ocean freight capacity, including hold inspections, checking the water position of rudders and draft readings.
BHP vice president of marketing freight Rashpal Bhatti said that drones could cut hold inspection times — which are generally performed while ships are berthed — by 75 per cent to 15 minutes.
“The hold inspection process involves ships which have five to nine holds which a person checks by climbing down ladders,” he explained.
“The inspector has to be physically fit, use fall protection, and carry a parrot (oxygen meter) to make sure there is enough air in the hold. And it takes a lot of time.
“With drones, we can fly them into a hold and capture 4K images, but also infra-red, and other types of cameras that can show cracks or other specific parameters that cannot be seen with the naked eye.’’
Bhatti also suggested that the use of tablet-compatible drones could provide safety benefits for chartered ships, especially for tension readings of ship mooring line.
BHP hopes its use of drones for freight inspections will create a “holistic technological package” to deliver several types of information to the same table.
“It’s all a bit futuristic but that is the direction we are going,” concluded Bhatti.
- BHP ,
- Source: www.stilmint.com
Short Link:
https://www.miningnews.ir/En/News/279334
Top copper producer Codelco reported a decline in quarterly output due to lower quality ore at its aging Chilean mines — ...
Brazil’s Corumba region could more than double iron ore shipments through neighboring Uruguay this year if there is ...
BHP Group Ltd.’s proposal for a $39 billion takeover of rival Anglo American Plc is all about securing plenty of copper ...
When former boss Mark Cutifani left Anglo American Plc in mid-April 2022, things had rarely looked better for the ...
Chile President Gabriel Boric said on Thursday he is targeting an increase in the country’s annual copper output by 1 ...
Brazilian miner Vale SA sees no impact from BHP Group’s bid for Anglo American on the latter’s Minas-Rio project, its ...
Marex Group Plc and a group of the London-based firm’s shareholders raised about $292 million in a US initial public ...
Impala Platinum could cut 3,900 jobs as it restructures its South African operations due to lower metal prices, the ...
Australian Strategic Materials ASM.AX said on Friday it has received a non-binding letter of interest for a debt funding ...
No comments have been posted yet ...