Delft University of Technology’s Donut Mooring Line Inspection System Awarded AiP by Bureau Veritas

Bureau Veritas Marine & Offshore (BV) has awarded an Approval in Principle (AiP) to Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) as part of a Joint Industry Project for its Donut Mooring Line Inspection System - a technology designed to detect fatigue and corrosion damage in mooring chain links without the need to remove marine growth.



The system under development targets the detection of both the initiation and propagation of fatigue cracks, as well as the identification of their locations within the chain links. It is also designed to identify localised corrosion damage and to provide an estimation of corrosion rate.

Key features of the Donut technology include:

• Quantitative diagnosis and prognosis of corrosion and fatigue 

• No requirement for cleaning marine growth from the chain links

• Remote deployment via underwater robotics

Following a thorough review of the submitted documentation, BV has performed a Failure Mode and Effect Critical Analysis according to the guidance note NI525 R01: Risk-Based Qualification of New Technology – Methodological Guidelines and confirmed that the qualification plan is suitable to address all the failure modes.

Filippo Riccioli from TU Delft said: “Donut technology brings a fresh approach to mooring inspections – enhancing safety, efficiency, and sustainability.”