Saving $600,000 On COT Inspections With The Elios 3 UT

Discover how the Elios 3 drone and its UT payload have made cargo oil tank (COT) inspections 6 times faster when used by Cyberhawk for class-certified inspections

Benefits In A Nutshell

Cargo Oil Tanks, or COTs, in ships face regular inspection requirements to ensure they can safely and securely transport oil from place to place. The interval for these inspections varies, with some regulatory inspections taking place every 5 or 10 years with smaller, less intensive inspections happening at a higher frequency. As a tank gets older, the number of inspections increases. 

A COT inspection may require either rafting, scaffolding or rope access, and a complex confined entry license to complete. It requires both visual and UT inspections and in combination with the obstacles to access, results in a challenging and expensive inspection process. 

However, as many drone service providers are now getting class-certified to complete COT inspections with drones, there is now a new way to gather this data while simplifying the inspection: the Elios 3 drone with its UT payload. 

Specialized Maritime Inspections With Drones

Cyberhawk is a drone inspection and asset management company founded in 2008 and was one of the first companies to use drones to inspect industrial assets. In 2025, they boast an impressive range of specialized inspection services and have completed over 500,000 drone inspections in 40 different countries. 

The Elios drones make up their confined space inspection drones. As Cyberhawk strives to inspect critical assets in electrical grids, oil and gas structures, and maritime infrastructure, they are deploying Elios drones to help gather data in the most challenging environments. After inspections they share their results with asset owners and operators, providing clear data that can be used for class certifications and periodical surveys or simply to track the condition of an asset over time. Currently, Cyberhawk have been deploying the Elios 3 and its UT payload for COT inspections in the maritime sector. 

The Elios 3 captures a thickness measurement with its UT payload

Cargo Oil Tank Inspections With The Elios 3

In the past, a single COT inspection could require custom scaffolding to be mounted or careful rope access. This would slow down the inspection and require safety permits for work at height. Cyberhawk wanted to use the Elios 3 instead. The aim was to use the Elios 3 to complete both visual and UT inspections for COT tanks throughout a tanker. 

The inspection process was straightforward. A set frame for each COT was provided to the Cyberhawk team before they gained access to the tank. The welds on the frame were closely inspected and any areas of concern were identified by the Elios 3 pilot as a PoI (Point of Interest). The pilot then inspected the bulkheads of each tank, following welds and capturing points of interest as needed. The POIs were also used to localize where UT measurements were taken along the frame. The Elios 3’s LiDAR payload would provide a 3D scan at the end of the project that could be used to visualize all of these points of interest. 

Feature Spotlight: Why the Elios 3? 

The Elios 3 is a trailblazing drone in the maritime sector. The key features that make it appropriate for missions that include cargo oil tank inspections are its size, speed, and quality of data it provides. All of these features result in safer and more cost-efficient inspections. 

• Speed: The Elios 3 inspections with the UT payload eliminate the need for scaffolding for inspections, drastically speeding up the inspection process. 
• Size: When the UT payload is mounted, the Elios 3 can fit into spaces as small as 60x60 centimeters (24 inches). The pilot can access small spaces and get up close to the side of the tank wall, giving not only the UT measurement but a close visual inspection. 
• Data Quality: The Elios 3 carries multiple payloads at the same time. As a result, when inspectors take UT measurements, the results are automatically localized within a 3D point cloud captured by the Elios 3's LiDAR scanner. Photos can also be used to mark points of interest which are saved within the 3D model too. At the end of an inspection, the Elios 3 pilot can produce a 3D model with all measurements and observations from the pilots located within it, empowering easy communication with maintenance teams and providing clear reporting for class societies or asset owners. 

The Elios 3's UT probe was used to gather thickness measurements, with its cleaning module able to prepare the test surface, as shown by the circles across this beam

The Numbers: Results of a Drone Cargo Oil Tank Inspection

The Elios 3 drastically reduced the inspection time of each COT. It took just 7 days to inspect 14 tanks, with the team able to complete 2 tanks a day. The team could inspect an entire tank in just half a day without any confined space entry or scaffolding. This would not be possible using conventional means of access. 

The time taken to stage each tank, carry out the inspection, and dissemble scaffolding in the past would take at least one week per tank. In addition, because the Cyberhawk team could complete visual and UT inspections simultaneously, it sped up the process of data collection as well. 

As a result, Cyberhawk completed the inspection of this tanker 6 times faster than it would have been completed in the past. Their efficiency and accuracy of results brought huge savings to the ship owner through reduced labor and time out of operation. For a typical ship owner, savings related to these inspections through using the Elios 3 can reach as high as $1 million per vessel.

Related Read: Remote Hull Inspection Saves $1 Million With The Elios 3

The Future With Remote COT Inspections

Using the Elios 3 and its UT payload has allowed Cyberhawk to expand their customer base as they offer more services that outpace traditional inspection methods. Removing the need for confined space entry keeps not just the Cyberhawk inspectors safe but also scaffolders and UT specialists. 

"The UT inspection market is getting flipped on its head. With world-class technology from Flyability, a skilled pilot, and the results backed up by class society accreditation, the question isn't if the industry will turn to drone-based UT inspections, but when." - Callum Hoffie, Oil and Gas Technical Manager, Cyberhawk

As Cyberhawk continues their work with the Elios 3, they are completing missions similar to this on vessels around the world. As each port is exposed to the Elios 3 and the services it can offer, Cyberhawk can increase their exposure and is seeing great uptake through testimonials and word of mouth as everyone gets excited about the small drone making a big impact.