Aker Solutions has successfully deployed an autonomous drone system on Aker BP’s Edvard Grieg platform in the North Sea, enabling frequent, remote inspections controlled from an onshore centre in Stavanger.
The company recently achieved a milestone by completing its first offshore beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone operation.
The inspection flight, conducted by a drone stationed on the platform, utilised autonomous navigation and advanced sensors to capture high-resolution imagery and data, marking a significant step toward fully autonomous offshore inspections.
The drone system includes an offshore docking station, supporting infrastructure, and custom software developed by Aker Solutions, complemented by an onshore control room.
It integrates airspace and AIS monitoring, along with two-way communication with the Helicopter Landing Officer (HLO) and platform leadership, ensuring seamless coordination.
By combining autonomous drones with AI-powered analytics, the system enables frequent, highly accurate inspections.
The drone captures consistent, precisely positioned images and videos, facilitating continuous equipment monitoring.
This allows for early detection of wear, corrosion, or other issues, enabling proactive maintenance to prevent escalation.
Autonomous drones, machine learning, and robotics are central to Aker Solutions’ digital strategy, which focuses on enhancing project execution, developing innovative services, and building a digitally ready organisation grounded in advanced data and software technology.
“We believe autonomous drones will revolutionise how inspection and maintenance are performed in the energy industry. Permanently deploying a drone on an oil platform — combined with robotics, AI, and digital technologies takes offshore maintenance to a new level, improving safety, reducing costs, and increasing efficiency across offshore asset management,” said Anja Dyb, SVP Life Cycle Services, Aker Solutions.
“Aker BP's operational strategy is based on the assumption that robotics and drones will be an integral part of observation, inspection and task executions offshore. These technologies will operate autonomously or remotely, either on-site or from land. The successful remote-controlled offshore drone operation at the Edvard Grieg platform, executed by Aker Solutions, is an important milestone for Aker BP as well," said Thomas Øvretveit, director of operations at Aker BP.
“We estimate that autonomous drones can reduce inspection costs by up to 70% and deliver detailed insights within hours — a process that traditionally takes days with manual drone operations,” said Joachim Hovland, head of drones and robotics.
