Remote surveys will become more common in a post-pandemic world, but they will not completely replace physical inspection of vessels, according to a classification official.
In early July, the International Association of Classification Societies (IACS) began looking at allowing remote surveys, which have been used regularly in the face of Covid-19.
The IACS has developed a set of standards to put remote surveys on par with physical ones, but chairman Nick Brown has made it clear that they will not serve as an outright substitute.
"I would say first and foremost, we don't see remote surveys replacing physical surveys," he said during a conference last week.
"What we do see is remote survey supplementing physical surveys."
He said the arrival of new Covid-19 strains lead to more lockdowns that would necessitate a remote option.
"We are now recognising that our world will need to coexist with Covid-19," he said.
"We certainly see that as something that is a trend that we should hold onto in a post-pandemic world to supplement our physical traditional surveys."
The IACS is mindful that remote surveys may put more work on crews, but they also allow them to carry out surveys during less busy times at sea, Brown said.
"Physical surveys almost always are done at anchorage or in a port or in a terminal when the crew has a very high workload," he said.
Remote surveys can also be used for minor tasks that do not require a classifier to be on board the ship, such as ensuring certain documentation is in place.
"That said of course, when a remote survey is underway the crew member is not on their own," he said.
"They are receiving advice from a classifier so that we are guiding them through the process."
Remote surveys also provide an opportunity for others to watch inspections remotely to avoid duplication of effort, he said.
He said liability issues that remote surveys may cause for the crew can be worked out with the classification society, as is customary when divers are used to facilitate hull inspections.
"For many decades, surveyors have been watching a video feed from a diver swimming," he said.
The surveyor has always had the discretion to stop such inspections if it is determined that the camerawork is not clear enough, he said.
"That's where I would see parallels, if you like, with digital surveys and in-water surveys that we have been used to."
