Inspection-class ROVs, UK wide

ROV Inspection Services

A remotely operated vehicle goes where dive teams cannot: through a 600mm manway, into a flooded culvert, down the face of a dam at operating level. We fly inspection-class ROVs with sonar, HD video and NDT payloads, and turn what they see into engineering answers.

Book a Scan01865 704407
  • Level 4 UKCSS Operator
  • Interpreted and reported for engineers
  • Oxford based, UK and Europe
Jetty remains inspected by NDTScan from a boat

Overview

Where ROVs earn their keep. Upstream faces, gates, intakes and stilling basins surveyed at operating level. No drawdown, no lost storage. Internal condition, sediment depth and joint inspection through the access hatch, with potable hygiene protocols. Flooded barrels that are unsafe or impossible for human entry, surveyed end to end with sonar and video. Hull condition, propellers, sea chests and moorings, plus quay walls and jetty piles alongside. Post-flood scour and undermining mapped acoustically while the river is still turbid and fast. Pumping stations and shafts inspected without confined space entry, isolation or pump-out.

What we survey

Dam inspection

Upstream faces, gates, intakes and stilling basins surveyed at operating level. No drawdown, no lost storage.

Service reservoirs & tanks

Internal condition, sediment depth and joint inspection through the access hatch, with potable hygiene protocols.

Culverts & outfalls

Flooded barrels that are unsafe or impossible for human entry, surveyed end to end with sonar and video.

Hulls & marine

Hull condition, propellers, sea chests and moorings, plus quay walls and jetty piles alongside.

Bridge scour

Post-flood scour and undermining mapped acoustically while the river is still turbid and fast.

Wet wells & shafts

Pumping stations and shafts inspected without confined space entry, isolation or pump-out.

ROV versus dive team. For inspection work, the comparison is rarely close. A dive spread needs a supervisor, a standby diver, surface support and a decompression plan, and the diver's time on the structure is measured in minutes. An ROV needs a pilot and a launch point, stays down all day, and records everything it sees. Divers still have their place for intervention and repair; for finding out what is down there, the vehicle wins on cost, coverage and risk. The detail of our fleet and payloads is on the ROV equipment page.

Named specialists, accredited delivery. Surveys are planned and reviewed by Neil Smuts (MCIOB, MInstNDT), President of the UK Concrete Scanning Standard. We hold water company passports for live potable assets.

Scan before you repair. That is the standing advice for every ROV Inspection client, and the reason NDTScan reports what the concrete contains before anyone specifies what to do about it.

Services Available Nationwide

  • GPR Concrete Scanning Pre-drill and pre-coring surveys, rebar and mesh mapping, post-tensioned tendon detection, void detection, slab thickness and cover estimation and RAAC identification.
  • Ultrasonic Testing of Concrete Ultrasonic pulse velocity, pulse echo and SONREB for uniformity, thickness, delamination and compressive strength estimation where GPR alone cannot answer the question.
  • Concrete Compressive Strength Assessment Rebound hammer, UPV combined method and managed core extraction to BS EN 13791, with independent reporting for engineering acceptance and building control.

Related Services

Related: Underwater NDT inspection: the full subsea testing service; Underwater surveying and inspection and ROV equipment; Corrosion mapping and UT thickness on submerged steel; Emergency NDT response for post-flood scour checks; Maritime sector and utilities and energy sector.

About NDTScan

NDTScan is a specialist non-destructive testing company based in Oxford and led by Neil Smuts. Its core disciplines are GPR concrete scanning, ultrasonic testing and in-situ compressive strength assessment, brought together in its concrete scanning and structural condition survey service. NDTScan is a Level 4 UKCSS Operator, the first in the UK to achieve that certification. ROV Inspection and the whole of the United Kingdom are within the company's everyday working area, and all work is reported to a standard suitable for engineering acceptance. RAAC identification is covered on the RAAC surveys page, and steel on the ultrasonic thickness and corrosion mapping page.

ROV Inspection NDT Services

  • Dam inspection Upstream faces, gates, intakes and stilling basins surveyed at operating level. No drawdown, no lost storage.
  • Service reservoirs and tanks Internal condition, sediment depth and joint inspection through the access hatch, with potable hygiene protocols.
  • Culverts and outfalls Flooded barrels that are unsafe or impossible for human entry, surveyed end to end with sonar and video.
  • Hulls and marine Hull condition, propellers, sea chests and moorings, plus quay walls and jetty piles alongside.
  • Bridge scour Post-flood scour and undermining mapped acoustically while the river is still turbid and fast.
  • Wet wells and shafts Pumping stations and shafts inspected without confined space entry, isolation or pump-out.

Our Services

Sectors We Support

Equipment & Technologies

Why Choose NDTScan

ROV Inspection NDT FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions.

Common questions about rov inspection services from NDTScan, answered by the team that does the work.

Can ROVs inspect dams without drawdown?

Yes. The vehicle is launched from the crest or the bank and flies the upstream face, intake structures and stilling basin while the reservoir stays at operating level. Drawdown for inspection alone is rarely justifiable once an ROV option is on the table.

What sensors do your ROVs carry?

Imaging sonar for zero-visibility work, HD video with powerful lighting for close inspection, ultrasonic thickness probes for steel, and positioning so every observation is located on the structure. Payloads are matched to the asset and the question being asked.

How small an opening can the ROV pass through?

Compact inspection-class vehicles pass through standard access hatches and manways, which is what makes tanks, wet wells, culverts and service reservoirs practical to inspect without human entry.

Is an ROV survey cheaper than a dive team?

Usually significantly, because there is no dive supervisor, standby diver, decompression planning or surface support spread. One pilot and one vehicle replace the whole spread for inspection tasks, and the survey is not limited by diver bottom time.

Do you inspect potable water assets?

Yes. We hold water company passports and follow potable equipment hygiene protocols, so service reservoirs and intakes can be inspected live without compromising water quality.

Tell us about the structure.

A postcode, the element in question and what you need to do to it is enough to start. Every survey is quoted on the structure, the access and the reporting required.

Book a survey01865 704407