Digital Inspection of Offshore Mooring Chain Using 3D Photogrammetry & Point Cloud Technology

The Challenge
Accurate assessment of offshore mooring chains is essential for maintaining asset integrity and ensuring continued safe operation. Conventional underwater inspections rely primarily on visual observations and limited manual measurements, which may not provide the detailed dimensional data required for engineering evaluation.

Our Solution
Stopcorr deployed an ROV-based 3D Photogrammetry Inspection to capture thousands of overlapping images of selected mooring chain links. The imagery was processed into a high- density point cloud, accurately representing the chain geometry in three -dimensional space. The point cloud was subsequently reconstructed into a textured 3D digital twin, enabling precise, non-contact engineering measurements and detailed condition assessment.

Project Highlights

• • High-resolution underwater image acquisition
  • Generation of engineering-grade dense point cloud
  • 3D digital twin reconstruction
  • Precision measurement of chain diameter and grip length
  • Wear and geometric condition assessment
  • Engineering reporting and digital asset documentation

Value
The digital inspection workflow delivered accurate and repeatable measurements while eliminating the need for large underwater calipers traditionally used for chain dimensional verification. Measurements were extracted directly from the digital twin, improving consistency while reducing human error.

The lightweight camera system is compatible with mini ROV platforms, allowing inspections to be performed using smaller and more cost-effective vehicles without compromising measurement quality. Together with the engineering-grade point cloud and digital twin, this provides clients with a permanent digital record for future comparison, condition trending, integrity assessment, maintenance planning, and asset life extension.