Inspectors from the ILT actually boarded 13 ships, after potential shortcomings had previously been identified with the drone on 21 ships.
In 2022, the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate (ILT) and the Coast Guard will use drones to check 44 sailing container ships for securing their cargo. Those checks resulted in violations on 11 ships. This concerned the non-fastening or incorrect fastening of containers, the so-called 'lashing'.
“The use of drones is very effective. It offers us the opportunity to detect violations while the container ship continues to sail. The crew will then not be disturbed in their work and we can carry out targeted checks in this way. We started a pilot in 2021 and it turned out to be successful, which is why we started using drones again in 2022.”
On-board
Inspectors from the ILT actually boarded 13 ships, after potential shortcomings had previously been identified with the drone on 21 ships. Violations were found on 11 of those 13 ships. There they saw, for example, that the containers had not been properly lashed or that the cargo computer appeared to contain an unapproved calculation module or that it did not correspond with the so-called Cargo Securing Manual. Eight ships could not be checked as they had already left the port or had sailed on. During the inspections, the ILT sails on board ships of the Coast Guard for a number of days to take photos.
“The Coastguard is very pleased with the collaboration between the Aero-sensing drone team of the ILT and the Coastguard. The Emergency Response Towing Vessels (ERTVs) of the Coast Guard, which are already at sea, can serve as a platform for drones such as those of ILT. This means that supervision at sea is implemented in an effective and efficient manner.”
Drones
The ILT uses drones to inspect container ships. There are small cameras under these drones that photograph passing container ships from the air. Those pictures can be taken up close and in a safe way. The use of a helicopter is therefore no longer necessary. In 2023, the ILT continue to monitor container ships with drones.
