Automated hull and seabed inspection with artificial vision
The Problem
Marina operators live with a daily contradiction: the most critical part of the infrastructure — the underwater portion — is also the least visible and least monitored.
Below the surface lie the hulls of moored vessels, with their problems of fouling, osmosis, and corrosion. There are mooring chains that wear out, anchor blocks that sink into the sediment, and debris accumulating on the bottom. There are cables, pipes, and dock structures working silently until they fail.
All of this is rarely inspected, often only when something goes wrong. The reasons are simple: sending a diver is expensive, time-consuming, and produces fragmented documentation. The cost-benefit ratio of frequent inspections has never been favorable.
The result is reactive rather than preventive management. Intervention happens after the damage, not before. The boat owner discovers fouling when the boat slows down. The marina manager discovers the worn chain when a boat breaks loose. The seabed silts up until the declared draft no longer matches reality.
The Scenario
Consider a typical Mediterranean marina: 200 berths, 3-6 meters depth, a mix of permanent and seasonal transit vessels. An infrastructure worth several million euros, served by competent staff but without underwater specialization.
Today, this marina probably:
- Offers boat owners a hull inspection service through external divers, on request. Cost to the customer: €150-250. Waiting time: days. Result: a few photos, a verbal assessment, no comparable historical data.
- Has the seabed inspected once a year, perhaps less. The work is assigned to a survey company that arrives with its own equipment, tours the marina, and delivers a report. Cost: a few thousand euros. Frequency: insufficient to catch evolving problems.
- Manages incidents when they occur. A boat that breaks loose, a propeller damaged by debris, a mooring that fails. Direct costs, insurance costs, reputational costs.
This isn’t a wrong model — it’s the only one that has made economic sense until now.
The Proposed Solution
MUSAI is an artificial vision platform for real-time automatic analysis of underwater images. Integrated with an ROV (underwater drone), it enables automation of inspection activities while significantly reducing operational costs.
How it works: the system operates in three modes, depending on requirements.
In manual mode, an operator pilots the drone along the hull or seabed while MUSAI analyzes the video stream in real time.
In semi-automatic mode, the operator positions the drone near the target — the hull, the chain, the structure to be inspected — and the system continues autonomously, following the object’s profile without requiring continuous control.
In automatic mode, the mission is set (area to cover, waypoints, scanning pattern) and the drone performs the inspection in complete autonomy, freeing the operator for other activities.
In all cases, MUSAI analyzes the video stream as it is acquired, automatically recognizing and classifying what it sees.
For hulls, it identifies: biological fouling (algae, barnacles, encrustation), structural anomalies (scratches, dents, osmosis blisters), condition of appendages (propellers, rudders, sea cocks), state of sacrificial anodes.
For seabeds, it detects: mooring status (chain tension, wear points), presence of debris and hazardous objects, depth variations, condition of submerged structures.
Every detection is georeferenced and documented. Not “there’s some fouling at the stern,” but a precise map with coordinates, images, and severity classification. Data that can be compared between inspections, entered into management software, or used for quotes and surveys.
What changes in practice:
The marginal cost of each inspection drops dramatically. If today a hull inspection costs €200 and requires coordinating an external diver, with MUSAI it costs €50-70 in operator time and can be done the same day.
Frequency becomes sustainable. Instead of inspecting the seabed once a year, you can do it every two months. Instead of checking a hull only at the owner’s request, you can offer a periodic monitoring service included in the berth fee.
Documentation becomes an asset. Standardized reports, searchable history, evidence usable for insurance and litigation. The marina moves from “we didn’t know” to “we verified on March 15th and the situation was this.”
Practical Applications
Hull Inspection Service for Boat Owners
The marina can offer its customers a fast, economical, and professional hull inspection service. The boat owner receives a report with annotated images and recommendations: “grade 2 fouling on the bow area, cleaning recommended within 30 days,” “stern anode 70% consumed, replacement necessary.”
For the boat owner, it’s tangible added value: it costs less than a diver, it’s faster, it produces useful documentation. For the marina, it’s a new margin-generating service that differentiates the offering from competitors.
Some marinas are considering including an annual inspection in the berth fee — a way to justify premium rates and retain long-term customers.
Periodic Seabed Monitoring
With low marginal costs, it becomes possible to inspect the entire marina area multiple times per year. A baseline of seabed conditions is built, critical areas are identified, and maintenance interventions are planned before they become emergencies.
The value is primarily in prevention. An anchor block showing signs of failure can be replaced in a scheduled window, not after a 50-meter yacht has broken loose on a windy night.
Surveys and Certifications
The system can be used for pre-purchase inspections, insurance surveys, and condition certifications. The documentation produced by MUSAI — objective, georeferenced, repeatable — has evidentiary value that a diver’s photos do not.
Some boatyards are exploring the use of MUSAI to document the condition of vessels on delivery or return from refitting.
Special Operations Support
Search for objects lost in water. Pre-dredging mapping. Post-intervention verification of submerged infrastructure. Inspections on behalf of port authorities or coast guards. The system is flexible — algorithms can be configured to recognize specific targets.
Distinctive Platform Features
MUSAI is an open platform, designed to adapt to different operational contexts.
Configurable algorithms. Recognition models can be trained on specific datasets for vessel types, port infrastructure, or particular inspection targets.
Edge processing. Analysis occurs locally on the control unit, without internet connectivity required. Data remains under operator control.
Integration with existing systems. Inspection data can be exported or integrated with management software for berths, maintenance, and billing.
Italian development and support. The system is developed in Tuscany by CUBIT Innovation Labs, with direct knowledge of the regulatory and operational context of Italian ports.
Project Status
MUSAI is currently in operational validation at an Italian marina. Field tests are confirming the economic and operational hypotheses described in this document. The first quantitative data will be available by the second quarter of 2026.
Evaluation Process
System adoption involves the following phases:
- Preliminary assessment — Analysis of port configuration, operational needs, and system compatibility.
- On-site demonstration — System testing under the marina’s specific operational conditions, with no commitment. The demonstration is free and allows evaluation of results on real seabeds and vessels.
- Technical-economic proposal — Customized configuration, implementation plan, staff training.
Commercial Terms
For early customers, a 50/50 payment formula is available: 50% at system activation, the balance at six months subject to satisfaction with operational results.
Contact
Email: musai@cubitlab.com
Phone: +39 050 0984198
Web: www.musai.cubitlab.com
MUSAI is a project by CUBIT Innovation Labs, developed with the support of ARTES 4.0 and funded by the Next Generation EU program.
