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INDUSTRIES · MARITIME

In-water and class surveys, witnessed from the office.

For ship managers, attending surveyors and approved dive and ROV firms. The supplier dives and the dive supervisor stays on the boat. The surveyor directs the ROV pilot live from the Flight Portal, Skyhost's live session, and the superintendent watches the same feed.

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Skyhost Flight Portal: a live view of a ship's port hull with blistered coating and rust streaks along a plate seam, with four participants in the session

01THE PROBLEM

The surveyor spends half a day on a launch boat for two hours of witnessing. And the people who pay for the survey never see it.

01

The surveyor travels to every vessel.

Usually by launch boat, out to the anchorage and back.

02

Hard to judge on a moving deck.

Coating breakdown and pitting, on a monitor on the dive boat. A wrong call means a re-dive.

03

The superintendent and owner can't take part.

Decisions wait, or are made on someone else's description.

04

The vessel is the most expensive thing on the job.

Every extra day at anchorage is billed to the owner.

A dive support crew on a boat beside a ship's hull at anchorage, one watching the topside monitor, one handling the umbilical
ON SITE · DIVE SUPPORT BOAT, SINGAPORE ANCHORAGE

02REGULATION

The industry already accepts remote surveys. The flag state and the class societies provide for remote inspection with live streaming.

Drone or ROV surveyIACS REC 42×Live streamingIACS UR Z29=Skyhost

MPA · SC 13/2018

MPA accepts remote inspection techniques for surveys

IACS · UR Z29

Remote classification surveys, in force since 1 January 2023

Z29 · ITEM 9

In-water bottom survey: live streaming required, with no minor-scope exception

IACS · REC 42

Guidelines for remote inspection techniques

ABS · GN 2022

Guidance notes on remote inspection technologies

IACS UR Z29, TABLE 1 · ELIGIBLE REMOTE SURVEY ITEMS · (1) LIVE STREAMING MAY NOT BE REQUIRED FOR MINOR SCOPE, AT THE SOCIETY'S SOLE DISCRETION · (2) PURE DOCUMENTARY VERIFICATIONS FALL UNDER ITEM 13
No.Survey or item eligible for remote surveyLive streaming required
1Postponement, issuance, deletion of Condition of Class(1)
2Postponement of Class surveys(1)
3Items of Continuous Survey for Machinery (UR Z18) or Planned Maintenance Scheme (UR Z20)(1)
4Occasional survey for change of ship's name(1)
5Occasional survey for loss of anchor(1)
6Occasional survey for minor machinery or equipment damage(1)
7Occasional survey for minor hull damage(1)
8Occasional survey for minor deficiencies/defects not subject to a Condition of Class(1)
9In-water bottom survey
10Specified items of a class periodical survey (excluding additional specific items of initial/renewal), incl. completion of remaining items of a part-held periodical survey(1)(2)
11Non-propelled / un-manned barges/pontoon – annual surveys when no survey of hull compartments is due
12Minor retrofit / installation / upgrade of equipment(1)
13Documentary or data-based initial / periodical / renewal / occasional verifications and surveys—
CLASS ACCEPTANCE
Skyhost is the audio and video channel for the remote survey. Under UR Z29 each class society decides which tools it accepts, so check with your society before a survey is credited on a Skyhost feed.

03WORKFLOW

Schedule, dive, review, report in days. The approved supplier dives. The dive supervisor is on the boat, as today.

Today

  1. Coordinating the survey

    Surveyor, dive firm, ship manager and the vessel's schedule all have to line up.

    DAYS–WEEKS

  2. Surveyor travels to the vessel

    Launch boat out to the anchorage and back.

    HALF A DAY

  3. Dive and on-site witnessing

    Judged on a monitor on the boat deck.

    2–4 HOURS

  4. Footage handover

    Drive or link, gone through by hand.

    2–5 DAYS

  5. Review and report

    Written up image by image.

    1–3 WEEKS

Several weeks

With Skyhost

  1. Schedule the survey

    One booking, everyone invited.

    MINUTEST−5 DAYS

  2. Dive, surveyor joins from the office

    Directs the ROV pilot, observes defects live.

    2–4 HOURST+0

  3. Images in one place

    Uploaded into the survey record.

    SAME DAYT+1 DAY

  4. Review and draft the report

    Findings raised, report drafted, surveyor signs.

    1–2 DAYST+1 DAY

Days

SCHEDULE TO SIGNED REPORT. TYPICAL RANGES FOR AN IN-WATER SURVEY; ACTUAL TIMES DEPEND ON THE VESSEL, THE WEATHER AND THE REVIEW.

01BEFORE THE DAY

Schedule

Date, window, vessel and hull areas, agreed once. Attending surveyor, dive supervisor, ROV pilot and superintendent invited.

Skyhost Schedule: the Schedule an inspection form for MV Straits Meridian, with the port hull pass, date, time window, operator and notes for the operator

  • Scope in plain words.

    What everyone sees in the session and on the report.

  • Date and window.

    Agreed once, for everyone.

  • Operator.

    Your operator, with availability shown.

  • Guests invited next.

    One link each, from the booking.

02ON THE DAY · 2–4 HOURS

Live

The surveyor directs the ROV pilot from the Flight Portal. "Go back to that plate."

03SAME OR NEXT DAY

Review

Coating, corrosion, damage: defect, severity, region, note.

041–2 DAYS

Report

Drafted into the class report format. The surveyor signs.

04FLIGHT PORTAL

One job, several offices watching. The surveyor, the superintendent and the owner see the hull as it's seen.

ON SITE: rov / diver camera (supplier's own), rov pilot (topside), dive supervisor (on the boat, as today). Live video travels from the rov / diver camera into Skyhost's Flight Portal and out to attending surveyor (class remote centre · directs and credits), technical superintendent (manager's office), owner's representative (remote), charterer / p&i (on invitation). Two-way audio connects every one of them with the rov pilot.ON SITEROV / DIVER CAMERAsupplier's ownROV PILOTtopsideDIVE SUPERVISORon the boat, as todaySKYHOST · FLIGHT PORTALlive videotwo-way audioparticipantsframe captureATTENDING SURVEYORclass remote centredirects and creditsTECHNICAL SUPERINTENDENTmanager's officeOWNER'S REPRESENTATIVEremoteCHARTERER / P&Ion invitationLIVE VIDEOTWO-WAY AUDIOFIG 02WHO IS IN THE FLIGHT PORTAL · MARITIMEON SITE: rov / diver camera (supplier's own), rov pilot (topside), dive supervisor (on the boat, as today). Live video travels from the rov / diver camera into Skyhost's Flight Portal and out to attending surveyor (class remote centre · directs and credits), technical superintendent (manager's office), owner's representative (remote), charterer / p&i (on invitation). Two-way audio connects every one of them with the rov pilot.ON SITEROV / DIVER CAMERAsupplier's ownROV PILOTtopsideDIVE SUPERVISORon the boat, as todaySKYHOST · FLIGHT PORTALlive videotwo-way audioparticipantsframe captureATTENDING SURVEYORclass remote centredirects and creditsTECHNICAL SUPERINTENDENTmanager's officeOWNER'S REPRESENTATIVEremoteCHARTERER / P&Ion invitationLIVE VIDEOTWO-WAY AUDIOFIG 02WHO IS IN THE FLIGHT PORTALMARITIME
SURVEYOR TRAVEL
None
The surveyor witnesses from the office or the class remote centre.
PARTIES IN THE SESSION
As invited
Surveyor, superintendent, owner, charterer, P&I: whoever the manager invites, each from their own link.
SETUP FOR GUESTS
A link
No class app to install, no account.

05FINDINGS

Coating, corrosion and damage, marked on the frame. Severity set by the attending surveyor.

Close-up of a ship's hull: blistered coating and exposed primer along a horizontal plate seam, with rust streaks running down
DEFECT TYPE
Coating — breakdown with corrosion
SEVERITY
Major
REGION
Port shell, midships · 0.38 m²
NOTE
Blistered coating and exposed primer along a horizontal plate seam, roughly 1100 × 350 mm, with rust streaks running down.
FRAME
F-10 · 00:16:44 · 19 MAR 2026 09:30:44 SGT
REVIEWED BY
Attending surveyor · 19 Mar 2026, 14:02

SAMPLE PROJECT · MV STRAITS MERIDIAN · ILLUSTRATIVE

06REPORT

Drafted into your class report format. Shown here: a hull and structural condition survey (sample template HSS-04).

Skyhost Reports: a draft of a hull and structural condition survey, template HSS-04, section 2.1 photographic record of defects
FINDING F-10
Section 2.1, photographic record of defects
DECLARATION
Declaration by the attending surveyor
CONDITION AS FOUND
Frames from the dive, keyed to their reference
AFTER RECTIFICATION
Uploaded against the same reference

07SURVEY TYPES

Where a live feed is required, and where it saves a trip.

Eligible for remote survey (UR Z29 Table 1)

ITEM 9
In-water bottom survey (IWS) · live streaming required
ITEM 11
Annual survey, unmanned barges and pontoons · live streaming required
ITEM 7
Occasional survey, minor hull damage · live streaming unless waived for minor scope
ITEM 6
Occasional survey, minor machinery or equipment damage · live streaming unless waived for minor scope
ITEM 8
Minor deficiencies not subject to a condition of class · live streaming unless waived for minor scope

A live feed saves a trip

HOLDS
Cargo hold condition and cleanliness
HULL
Hull cleaning verification
CHARTER
On-hire and off-hire condition
S&P
Pre-purchase condition
MANAGER
Superintendent visits
CASUALTY
Damage surveys with class, owner and insurers on one link
Skyhost Flight Portal: a live view inside a ship's cargo hold, looking up at the hatch coaming and access ladder, with four participants in the session
LIVE SESSION · CARGO HOLD INSPECTION · SAMPLE

08FOR DIVE AND ROV FIRMS

Your camera, your crew, one link for everyone watching.

01

No new hardware.

Stream from your ROV or diver camera's topside unit over RTMP.

02

Nobody installs anything.

The surveyor and superintendent join from a browser.

03

The same record for everyone.

Frames, findings and the report sit on the vessel's record.

Maritime questions

Will the class society accept a survey witnessed on Skyhost?

UR Z29 allows remote surveys with live streaming, and each society decides which tools it accepts. Check with your society before booking a credited survey; we'll give them whatever they need to assess Skyhost.

Does it work at the anchorage?

Over 4G or 5G at the site, or Starlink further out.

Which cameras work?

ROV and diver camera topside units, drones for holds and superstructure, and handheld cameras, over RTMP.

Can the charterer or P&I club join?

Yes. The manager invites anyone who should see the survey.

Is the dive supervisor still needed?

Yes. The supplier's team works as it does today.

Is the live session recorded?

No. Frames and the supplier's full-resolution footage are uploaded to the survey after the dive, and those are what the report is built from.

Witness your next in‑water survey from the office. Book a demo and we'll walk through a survey, booking to report.

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30 MIN · ONLINE · WITH THE TEAM THAT BUILDS SKYHOST