How Bentley Digital Twins is Reshaping Maritime Inspections

Major engineering firm Haskoning has revolutionized maritime infrastructure inspection by successfully completing a digital-first assessment of the Holyhead Deepwater Jetty in North Wales using Bentley Systems software.

A critical asset supporting cruise vessels and contributing over GBP 4.75 million annually to the regional economy, the aging jetty required a comprehensive inspection of its 400 piles and 5 kilometers of beams. Facing complex tidal challenges and weather risks, the team turned to Bentley’s iTwin Capture and iTwin Experience to execute the firm’s first fully remote inspection.

The digital workflow began with a drone survey capturing 35,000 high-resolution photographs over three days. Haskoning utilized iTwin Capture Modeler to automatically process these images into a precise, high-resolution 3D mesh model, overcoming the clarity and resolution limitations of non-Bentley tools.

This model was then uploaded into iTwin Experience, a cloud-based platform that visualized the data and provided engineers with 24/7 virtual access through a standard web browser. This allowed the team to zoom into specific areas, retrieve source images, and log defects directly into the platform without the need for high-spec hardware or hazardous, boat-based site visits.

By leveraging Bentley’s reality modeling and digital twin technology, Haskoning delivered a smarter, safer, and highly efficient project. The digital solution compressed the inspection timeline from five weeks to just two, and reduced the required onsite workforce to one engineer and one graduate engineer—achieving a 60% savings in time alongside substantial labor and operational cost cuts.

Furthermore, eliminating physical travel and boat hire reduced carbon emissions by an estimated 60% to 75% and removed worker safety hazards. Ultimately, Bentley software allowed Haskoning to ensure the jetty’s continued operational capacity and safeguard regional economic growth through an innovative, scalable, and environmentally sustainable workflow.

Learn more about how iTwin Capture can speed up your infrastructure projects ❯

- Video Advertisement -

Related Post

Bentley announces the Bentley Technology Summit to be held in Toronto, Canada

As urbanization accelerates and the demands on global infrastructure reach unprecedented heights, the industry stands at a major turning point. From managing complex subterranean geology for major metropolitan transit lines—like Vienna’s ambitious metro expansion using advanced 3D subsurface models—to navigating new paradigms in artificial intelligence and connected data, modern civil engineering is undergoing a massive […]

How a 3D Underground Model is Shaping Vienna’s Transit Future

As Vienna’s population continues to surge and tourism hits record-breaking highs, the Austrian capital is looking downward to secure its future. The city is currently boring a brand-new metro line through some of the trickiest, most varied geological terrain in Europe—guided by an innovative 3D subsurface model that began, fittingly, on a rooftop. A Legacy […]

Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure Awards Opens in Singapore With a New Format, New Host, and 36 Finalists

The people shaping the world’s infrastructure deserve an experience as extraordinary as the work they do. This year, Bentley built one. Bentley’s Year in Infrastructure Awards opened in Singapore with a new look. Now in its 22nd year, the event often called the “Oscars of Infrastructure” has a new host, a new keynote format, and […]

PLAXIS 2D Helps Model Madrid’s Traditional Tunnel Construction Method

Engineers have developed a methodology using PLAXIS 2D to simulate tunnels built with the Traditional Method of Madrid (TMM), offering a faster alternative to complex three-dimensional analyses. Used in the Madrid Metro since 1917, the TMM divides tunnel excavation into small sections, typically less than 5 square meters. Each section is temporarily supported with timber […]

How Bentley Software Is Helping Keep Mumbai’s Massive Sea Bridge on Track

Mumbai’s Versova-Bandra Sea Link (VBSL), a 17.17-kilometer, eight-lane bridge set to become India’s second-longest, is being built with the help of digital project management software designed to keep a hugely complex construction effort organized and on schedule. Once finished, the bridge will connect Versova to Bandra and is expected to cut commute times sharply for […]

Automated Calibration Streamlines Travel Demand Modeling

Automated calibration is helping transportation planners make travel demand modeling faster, more efficient and responsive to changing travel patterns. Traditionally, calibrating travel demand models required months of manual adjustments to ensure model results matched real-world data such as traffic counts, transit ridership and household travel surveys. Automated calibration simplifies the process by using optimization algorithms […]