Japan-based Terra Drone Corporation, a provider of industrial drone solutions, is expanding its global footprint in North America. Terra Done is partnering with US-based Ventus Geospatial, a leading provider of oil and gas inspection solutions and mapping services to form Terra Drone Ventus.
Through its three North American branches in Houston, Texas, Calgary, Alberta and Lethbridge, Alberta, Terra Drone Ventus will provide inspection and survey solutions in sectors like oil and gas, power, renewables, mining and many more.
The newly-formed Terra Drone Ventus will offer beyond visual line of sight (“BVLOS”) inspection services using Terra Drone group company, C-Astral’s high-endurance drones. Terra Drone Ventus will leverage the proprietary UT drones of Terra Inspectioneering (formerly RoNik Inspectioneering) for wall-thickness measurements and Ventus’ patented gas detection sensors to provide unparalleled solutions for gas leak detection and inspection of oil and gas assets such as pipelines, flare-stacks, well pads, and storage tanks. There will also be a dedicated focus on the power line industry with innovative solutions for vegetation management and renewables such as wind power generators.
Explaining the motivation behind partnering with Ventus Geospatial, Terra Drone CEO Toru Tokushige says,
“As the world leader in oil production, the United States is a lucrative market for Terra Drone’s international business expansion. The oil production in Texas is topped only by Russia and Saudi Arabia. So, the demand for inspection of oil and gas facilities is also quite high here.”
Earlier this year, eight tanks in a Houston-area oil and gas facility caught fire and continued to burn for multiple days. Accidents such as these prove the value of Terra Drone Ventus services. Terra Drone Ventus provides timely and regular inspections which help with early detection of anomalies to minimize incidents.
Tokushige also recognizes that there are many other opportunities outside the oil and gas markets. “Moreover, the US is the second-largest producer of wind energy in the world. Texas leads the country in wind power capacity as well. This is again a lucrative market for us.”
With eight years of experience in the oil and gas sector, Ventus has flown and operated thousands of airborne missions without incident and worked with more than 200 clients, including Exxon, TC Energy and many more. It was also the first company in North America to obtain permission to fly BVLOS drone missions.
Paul Mitcham, Chairman, Terra Drone Ventus, says,
“Implementing new technologies from Terra Drone Group and leveraging their expertise will allow us to increase the capacity of our inspection solutions significantly.”
Steve Myshak, COO, Terra Drone Ventus, adds,
“Combining the technology and expertise we have developed with a partner like Terra Drone will give us a distinct advantage. This partnership is a natural progression for Ventus Geospatial and we are looking forward to providing a wider range of solutions to both current and prospective clients.”
Source: Press Release