Renewal of MODEC-Terra bond taking FPSO inspection drone tech to the next level

With the goal of stepping up its drone technology game for crude oil storage tank inspections on floating production, storage, and offloading (FPSO) vessels and large offshore platforms, Japan’s MODEC has revived its relationship with Terra Drone Corporation, a compatriot drone and urban air mobility (UAM) technology company.

Given that FPSOs require regular maintenance and inspections to ensure stable crude oil and gas production over operational lifespans exceeding 20 years, MODEC and Terra Drone have been jointly developing drone-based solutions to fully replace manual inspections inside FPSO crude oil storage tanks, since conventional manual inspections in elevated or confined spaces present significant occupational safety risks.

The duo renewed its joint research and development (R&D) agreement for the non-destructive internal inspection of crude oil storage tanks on FPSOs with Terra UT drones, following achievements in improving measurement accuracy, enhancing safety, and reducing inspection time.

The two players’ collaboration is said to have cut inspection time and enhanced safety by developing the Terra UT drone for inspection operations on FPSOs operating offshore Brazil.

During their partnership last year, the duo claims to have improved measurement accuracy through the enhancement of ultrasonic sensors and enhanced safety during inspection operations by equipping the drone with a gas detector.

While revealing a significant increase in cleaning efficiency, the companies explain that the upgraded wire brush enables more effective removal of impurities and oil residues, such as wax, allowing up to ten times more inspection operations within the same time frame compared to the previous method.

The firms also emphasized the continuous power supply via a tethered cable system, which eliminates the need for battery replacement, reducing the number of drone landings during inspections to one-tenth of the previous frequency. The partnership will now focus on further advancing the practical application and operational deployment of drone technology.

MODEC elaborated: “On FPSOs, periodic structural inspections are indispensable, but must be performed in parallel with production operations by a limited number of crew members. The ability to safely perform inspections without increasing the number of personnel onboard offers a significant advantage.

“By innovating drone inspection techniques, MODEC and Terra Drone will continue to contribute to improved occupational safety, manpower reduction, and greater efficiency in FPSOs and other offshore platforms operations.”

MODEC and Terra plan to build on their previous achievements in 2025 by pursuing development themes revolving around the optimization of airframe structure and design to boost robustness and operational stability for global deployment with the integration of high-resolution cameras to improve visual inspection capabilities.

In addition, there will be a redesigned airframe for improved maintainability, increased robustness and adaptability for large tanks through reinforced and extended tether cables, enhanced safety with advanced explosion-proof measures for the tethered cable system, and an airframe designed for air transport to facilitate global deployment.

The two players, which will also seek the development of new measurement technologies by introducing a gel-free measurement method for inspections to improve operational efficiency, secured approval from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) in 2023 for a drone-based FPSO hull thickness measurement.

MODEC and Toyo Engineering recently launched a global capability center (GCC) in India to breathe life into a strategic hub for engineering, procurement, and FPSO project support.