Laser Scanning and Digitalisation for Drydock Vessel Preparation

3D Laser Scanning a Drydock and Blocks

At Nirray Surveys and our partner DOCKSPEC Marine, we have recently undertaken a large 3D Laser Scan Survey, digitising both the built environment of the dock and the vessel itself to carry out a Virtual Fit-Up.This approach allowed us to study the dry docking evolution in detail well in advance by digitalising the built environment and vessel, reducing the risk for the owner and all parties involved.

Our VIM/Virtual Fit-up in preparation for a vessel drydock

Dry docking is one of the most critical and high cost events in a vessel's lifecycle. Traditionally, ensuring the hull aligns perfectly with the docking blocks has involved manual measurement and a degree of approximate positioning. By leveraging 3D Dry Dock Scanning, we are digitising the shipyard floor and undertaking the following:

- We measure and model the blocks at the bottom of the dry dock to create a high-fidelity digital twin.

- Using our Vessel Information Management (VIM) capability, we overlay the vessel’s hull design onto the scanned block map to test feasibility remotely, providing a virtual fit-up.

- We identify potential interference or stability issues digitally, clash detection and preventing the need for a costly emergency re-docking, overall mitigating risk.

Our vessel feasibility study from our VIM system

We collaborate with all parties who are part of the dry docking evolution, being the digital link in collaboration - a call to aid all of the functional areas involved in the project.

With our expertise in Marine and digitalisation, we are providing the certainty that your Marine assets are safe, your schedules are protected, and your operations are de-risked.