An in-water survey of a ship located in Marseille has been supervised from Paris using the Seasam underwater drone.

Paris La Défense, 18 January, 2021 – Notilo Plus and Bureau Veritas (BV), a world leader in testing, inspection, and certification, has successfully completed the proof of concept project for underwater remote surveys using the Seasam technology ecosystem from Notilo Plus on a Corsica Linea ship, the MEDITERRANNEE.

Efficient underwater inspection of shipping vessels is important for the industry as a substitute for docking surveys at agreed intervals, or to follow hull damage. BV has been evaluating opportunities to provide effective remote inspection services. Using the Seasam system, an in-water survey of a ship located in Marseille has been supervised from Head Office in Paris.

The Seasam drone, sensors and software has successfully demonstrated innovative and enhanced capabilities as an alternative to the traditional diver in-water survey.

Bureau Veritas has observed the following benefits:

• Safer operations with no divers in the water
• Reduction in risk of disturbance to ship operations
• Higher quality pictures generated by the drone due to stability in the water
• Ease of deployment with one operator and limited equipment compared to a team of several divers and their equipment
• A collaborative platform providing enriched video sharing
• A secure data platform providing intuitive and detailed reporting

Laurent Leblanc, Senior Vice President Technical & Operations for Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore, said: ‘Underwater remote surveys can improve safety, reduce risk, time and expenses to provide better results. Maintaining the integrity and safety of a ship is a huge task. This new underwater technology brings digital classification to another level providing new opportunities to both our clients and to BV.’

Nicolas Gambini, CEO of Notilo Plus added: ‘collecting reliable, localized, high quality data and analyzing it to provide insightful hull management advice will make ship operations safer and reduce fuel consumption, as well as the environmental impact of the industry. Notilo Plus is proud to lead the way towards the digitalization of underwater asset management.”

Emmanuel Cesari, Head of Corsica linea’s superintendants indicated: “This underwater drone solution, designed by Notilo Plus, could simplify the maintenance of our ships and enable us to carry out quick underwater surveys whatever the sea conditions, while consolidating and increasing our efficiency. It could be a useful contribution to the know-how and expertise of our maintenance teams. Corsica linea’s social commitment is also reflected in our involvement in such projects, which are intended to promote French SMEs and their digitalization solutions serving the maritime economy.

About Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas is a world leader in laboratory testing, inspection and certification services. Created in 1828, the Group has more than 75,000 employees located in more than 1,500 offices and laboratories around the globe. Bureau Veritas helps its clients improve their performance by offering services and innovative solutions in order to ensure that their assets, products, infrastructure and processes meet standards and regulations in terms of quality, health and safety, environmental protection and social responsibility.

Bureau Veritas is listed on Euronext Paris and belongs to the Next 20 index.

Compartment A, ISIN code FR 0006174348, stock symbol: BVI.

For more information, visit www.bureauveritas.com, and follow them on Twitter (@bureauveritas) and LinkedIn.

About CORSICA linea

CORSICA linea, a sustainable and responsible shipping company is a French shipping company created in 2016.

The company has become, in five years of existence, one of the major shipping companies in the Mediterranean on two business segments: freight transport and passengers.

From Marseille, CORSICA linea operates 8 ships, which provide year-round service to the three Corsican ports of Bastia, Ajaccio, and Ile-Rousse, as well as rotations to Algeria and Tunisia.

With 900 sailors navigating under French flag, CORSICA linea is the 2nd employer of French sailors and the 1st employer of French sailors in the Mediterranean.