BPH drones take flight

(Posted on 11/10/18)

BHP was an early adopter of drones across its mine sites. Now drones are taking flight at BHP’s ocean freight operations, providing enormous safety benefits and efficiency gains.

While still in the trial phase, BHP’s Vice President of Marketing Freight, Rashpal Bhatti, sees the potential for drones to be a key part of a tablet-based technological package, incorporating artificial intelligence that provides captains a digital view of their ship.

“All of our chartered ships receive a tablet when they berth. And on the tablet they can read the tension of the mooring line which has major safety benefits.’’

“The question now is can the same tablet become a holistic technological package by also delivering ship hold inspection data, draft readings and other critical information captured by drones. It’s all a bit futuristic but that is the direction we are going.’’

BHP ships more than 300 million tonnes of iron ore, coal and copper to customers around the world annually. More than 1500 voyages are made, making BHP one of the largest charterers of dry bulk carriers in the world.

Like the drones being used across other parts of BHP’s operations, marine drones can be programed to carry a range of specific tasks.

In the ocean freight business, there are clear and immediate advantages from using drones in the inspection of holds and in the taking of draft readings. Then there is their nimbleness in the seemingly simple but important task of advising the ship’s bridge on the water position of the rudder.

Hold inspection reports would continue to be independent assessments but the use of drones promises to cut inspection times per hold from an hour to 15 minutes.

“The hold inspection process involves ships which have five to nine holds which a person checks by climbing down ladders. 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,’’ Bhatti said.

“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.’’

 “There are basically three or four types of ships with hold sizes about the same. So once you program a drone to go in to a certain ship, it can become an autonomous process.’’

“So you have a better way to assess the condition of the hold, and you are removing a person from a potentially hazardous situation,’’ Bhatti said.

BHP is also testing the use of drones to improve the safety, time and cost of ship draft readings. This is usually done from a boat when the ship is berthed and ready for a cargo.  

One of the logistical challenges to overcome is to get the drones on ships when they are offshore at anchorage, as distinct from being berthed.

“We are working with ship owners on this and other ways to use technology to improve safety and productivity,’’ Bhatti said.

Latest News

NGFA applauds Senate committee for advancing Grain Standards Act reauthorisation

The National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) in the USA has applauded the Senate Agriculture Committee... Read more

Rio Tinto announces board changes.

As Rio Tinto previously reported, the size of its Board peaked at 14 Directors during a transitional... Read more

ADM advances quality capabilities with new central milling laboratory

ADM , a global leader in human and animal nutrition, has celebrated the opening of its new Central Milling... Read more

Bunge announces reporting segment changes and recast outlook

Bunge Global SA has announced that it has changed its segment and volume reporting to align with the... Read more

Open Trade Coalition calls for bold and open EU trade policy

As the European Parliament prepares for the confirmation hearings of the new Commissioners, the Open... Read more

Rio Tinto Q3 results show strong production across the portfolio

Multinational mining company, Rio Tinto, has releases its third quarter 2025 production results showing... Read more

Robe River JV to invest $733m to extend Western Australia iron ore mine

Rio Tinto, Mitsui and Nippon Steel will invest $733 million1 (Rio Tinto share $389 million) to develop... Read more

Cargill deploys AI robot dog 'Spot' to enhance safety, reliability and innovation

Cargill has introduced Boston Dynamics’ four-legged robot, Spot, at its Amsterdam Multiseed crush... Read more

Holcim strengthens West Australia presence with BGC acquisition

Holcim Australia has announced that Cement Australia (CA) - its joint venture with Heidelberg Materials... Read more

Heidelberg takes final investment decision for CCS project in UK

Heidelberg Materials and the UK Government have reached a funding agreement to build the world&rsquo... Read more