Offshore Drone Inspection Market

Offshore Drone Inspection Market Outlook (2023-2033)

The global offshore drone inspection market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 421.6 million in 2023 and is expected to progress at a CAGR of 13% to reach US$ 1,456.8 million by the end of 2033.

In 2023, the global drone services market is estimated to be valued around US$ 6.6 billion. While the drone inspection service market will be valued at US$ 2 billion. In terms of value the deployment of offshore drone inspection accounted for nearly 21% share of the global drone inspection service market at the end of 2022.

Report Attributes	Details
Market Size (2022A)	US$ 366.6 million
Estimated Market Value (2023E)	US$ 421.6 million
Forecasted Market Value (2033F)	US$ 1,456.8 million
Global Market Growth Rate (2023-2033)	13% CAGR
North America Market Share (2022)	~18.3%
North America Market Value (US$ Mn), 2023	US$ 77.0 million
Europe Market Share (%), 2023	~15.6%
Europe Market Value (US$ Mn), 2023	US$ 65.8 million
China Market Share (%), 2023	~ 38.9%
China Market Value (US$ Mn)	US $ 164.1 million
Market Share of Top 3 Countries	~66.9%
Key Companies Profiled	Texo DSI Avitas Systems, Inc. Terra Drone Corp. Sky-Futures Ltd. Percepto Martek Aviation BAE Systems Inc. Airobotics Ltd. Aerodyne Group Australian UAV Pty Ltd. Viper Drones Sphere Drones Phoenix-Wings Mistras Group Cyberhawk Innovations Ltd.

Deployment Analysis of Offshore Drone Inspection (2018-2022) Vs. Market Outlook (2023-2033)

Unmanned drone visual inspections are a quick and inexpensive way to inspect critical areas offshore. Limiting faults and production loss at both the installation and the inspection equipment is essential because the offshore environment is frequently perceived as being challenging and demanding.

Drone inspection enables safe inspection of high-risk areas by conducting inspections and maintenance operations across offshore rigs to reduce various risks. Therefore, it is anticipated that offshore drone inspection revenue will increase at a CAGR of 13% to reach US$ 421.6 million in 2023.

• Short Term (2023 Q1 to 2026): Increasing deployment of drones for remote inspection will positively impact offshore drone inspection market growth.
• Medium Term (2026- 2029): Offshore inspections are required frequently across varied industries, however it is must for oil and gas industry to avoid offshore accidents. This is expected to propel the offshore drone inspection market in North America and Europe in the midterm.
• Long Term (2029- 2033): Adopting new advanced technology such as AI and IoT can open new opportunities for offshore drone inspection market players.

From 2018 to 2022, the global market for offshore drone inspection registered a CAGR of 9.8%. Fact.MR, a market research and competitive intelligence provider, reveals that the market will exhibit growth at 13% CAGR between 2023 and 2033.

Market share analysis of offshore drone inspection based on application and region is provided in the above image. Under the application segment, filming and photography sub-segment dominates with 24.4% market share in 2023.

What’s Driving High Demand for Offshore Drone Inspection Across the Globe?

“Rising Oil & Gas Industry to Elevate the Offshore Drone Inspection Market Growth”

Oil and gas companies use drones to monitor their infrastructure and assets more quickly, safely, and affordably. During the projected period, oil and gas industry will contribute significantly to an increase in demand for drones for offshore applications. With the rise in offshore investments by different countries throughout the globe, the industry revival is evident.

The increasing need for energy as a result of social and demographic issues, including the growing world population results in demand for offshore inspections. For instance, the world's largest oil and gas corporation Aramco found four new oil and gas fields in Saudi Arabia in December 2021. Therefore, increase in the oil & gas rigs under the end use sector for the offshore drone inspection market is expected to reach the valuation of US$ 190.7 million in 2023.

“Increasing Demand for Energy is Boosting Installations of Offshore Wind Turbines”

The government is being pressured to deploy wind turbines due to the rising demand for energy all across the globe. Through the use of renewable energy sources, the several regions are bolstering their electrical infrastructure.

For instance, the Union Ministry of New and Renewable Energy in India plans to add 5 GW of offshore capacity by 2023 and 30 GW by the end of 2033. Additionally, the building of offshore wind turbines is being driven by favourable government initiatives to minimise greenhouse gas emissions. As a result, the market for inspection and maintenance will develop faster. Consequently, the offshore wind turbine end use sector is expected ascribe a market value share of 27.6% in 2023.

What Do Offshore Drone Inspection Service Providers Need to Watch Out for?

Safety and Stringent Regulations Can Hamper the Market Growth”

The market poses various risks, especially if the container contains people. Accidents, equipment failures, and loss of communications are direct threats to living things. Additionally, remotely operated vehicles are expensive and can be damaged, forcing the company to reconsider its investment. Many countries accept that the use of drones, especially for recreational purposes, is not strictly regulated but must be monitored for safety reasons.

There are very strict laws and regulations against their use, and pilots must ensure that all correct procedures are followed before flying. Strict drone regulations in various countries are expected to limit the growth of the offshore drone inspection market during the forecast period. As a result, this may hinder market expansion.

Offshore locations frequently experience harsh weather, particularly high, gusty wind and humidity. In addition to the environment, it can be risky to operate in areas with minimal communication options and where other aircraft, like helicopters, frequently use the same airspace and helidecks. To ensure the high availability of the service, the deployments must be carefully planned, which calls for operations and maintenance plans to be modified to meet the requirements and timelines of the offshore industry.

Offshore drone inspection has a number of other difficulties, such as many operations at once, a maximum altitude, not meeting ATEX standards, battery logistics, registration, pilot trainings, and take-off and landing places that can vary based on ocean conditions.

Country-wise Insights

Why U.S. is Expected to Drive Offshore Drone Inspection Demand?

A growing contribution to the U.S. offshore drone inspection market comes from the growing oil and gas industry. As a result, the U.S. offshore drone inspection market is set to dominate for the expected period. Operationally, gas activity in the region is growing exponentially. The main attraction of the market is the planned installation of offshore wind turbines in the next few years.

These offshore drone inspections incorporate various technologies that make them user-friendly and operationally efficient. Offshore exploration activity is also increasing due to the identification of unexplored reserves. The US offshore drone inspection market value is expected to reach US$ 73.1 million in 2023.

Why is the Chinese Offshore Drone Inspection Market Expected to Be Highly Lucrative?

A major factor contributing to growth of offshore drone inspections in China and India is upcoming exploration activities conducted at offshore locations. Government initiatives to promote green energy have led to the installation of new offshore turbines in the region at a reasonable pace, further increasing the dominance of the offshore drone inspection and maintenance market.

Consequently, the Asia-Pacific region is expected to see the highest growth rate with the surge of UAV service providers in China and India. China’s offshore drone inspection market is expected to reach a valuation of US$ 164.1 million in 2023.

Category-wise Insights

Why is Inspection & Maintenance a Driving Segment in Offshore Drone Inspection Market?

During the projection period, the inspection and maintenance segment is anticipated to grow at a healthy CAGR of 19.8% and acquire a sizable market share. This is due to the widespread use of drones for new oil rigs and exploration tasks in Asian and European countries, which is anticipated to fuel the market segment's expansion.

Wind turbine inspection services are becoming an increasingly popular business, which drives maintenance & inspection services. Wind turbine inspection services are becoming more and more popular as its production capacity expands around the world. Owing to the above facts, the inspection & maintenance sub-segment of the offshore drone inspection market is expected to reach valuation of US$ 83.4 million by the end of 2032.

How Fixed Wing Drone is Poised to Drive Offshore Drone Inspection Market?

Fixed wing segment is expected to maintain its higher efficiency and lower cost than rotor wings. The fixed wing segment is accounted to have a market share of 20.9% in 2023. Fixed wings are also more suitable for long-distance flights than rotors because they have a greater range and can fly faster than rotors which makes them more suitable for inspecting large areas such as offshore platforms or wind turbines at a distance from ground level. As a result, there would be an increase in demand for fixed wing drones for offshore inspections, which is expected to have a market value of around US$ 88.1 million in 2023.

Competitive Landscape

Prominent offshore drone inspection service providers are Texo DSI, Avitas Systems, Inc., Terra Drone Corp., Sky-Futures Ltd., Percepto, Martek Aviation, BAE Systems Inc., Airobotics Ltd., Aerodyne Group, Australian UAV Pty Ltd., Viper Drones, Sphere Drones, Phoenix-Wings, Mistras Group, Cyberhawk Innovations Ltd.

Major players in the offshore drone inspection market are focused on developing and launching drone solutions that are not only innovative but also cost-effective for end users. Apart from that, companies are investing in new entrants to capitalize on their ideas and innovations.

Some of the key developments are:

• In July 2021, Texo DSI has announced the successful delivery of 3D digital twins of four offshore platforms, Tern Alpha, Cormorant Alpha, North Cormorant and Eider Alpha, to client TAQA in the North Sea. Texo deployed his UAV where they collected survey data from all four facilities, and the operation got completed immediately.

Fact.MR has provided detailed information about the price points of key service providers of offshore drone inspection positioned across regions, Deployment of technology, production capacity, and speculative technological expansion, in the recently published report.

Segmentation of Offshore Drone Inspection Industry Research

• By Drone Type :

  • Fixed Wing
  • Rotary Wing
  • Hybrid Wing

• By Application :

  • Filming & Photography
  • Inspection & Maintenance
  • Mapping & Surveying
  • Surveillance & Monitoring
  • Others

• By End Users :

  • Oil & Gas Rigs
  • Offshore Wind Turbines
  • Port & Ships
  • Others

• By Region :

  • North America
  • Latin America
  • Europe
  • East Asia
  • South Asia & Oceania
  • Middle East and Africa (MEA)