Application of Laser Scanning in Bulk Carrier Volume Survey

Mingzhi HUANG, Singapore

Key words: laser scanner, 3D modeling, bulk carrier, cargo hold
SUMMARY
In Singapores current land reclamation projects, sand is shipped from over a thousand
kilometers away to Singapore by bulk carriers. The cost of sand is important in such projects
and therefore, there is a need to survey the volume of sand accurately. Traditionally, there are
two typical solutions, i.e. using volume table of cargo holds provided by the manufacturer,
and manual survey. The former is known as ullage method, which usually requires excavators
to level the surface of sand in order to find the average distance to the top of cargo hold, while
in the latter case, surveyors need to personally enter the cargo hold to work on the surface of
sand. The ullage method is not cost-efficient, and as for manual survey the loose surface of
sands could cause safety issues. Furthermore, both solutions are time-consuming yet
inaccurate.
Advanced technology in laser scanning makes it possible to determine volume of sand quickly
and accurately without manually accessing the sand surface. Scanning the cargo hold twice once, when it is loaded with sand and again, after it is unloaded - can conceptually generate
3D models of sand and precisely calculate its volume. However, there are still technical issues
to be resolved. For on-board scanning, the laser scanner needs to be stably fixed onto the
cargo hold while the vessel is moving, and it also needs to be deeply extended into the cargo
hold to minimize blind spots. Scanning data processing is even more challenging; within the
3D model there is a need to fill up holes and blind spots to create a continuously enclosed 3D
object, and also remove unwanted objects such as staircase, windows, ropes, etc, to avoid
incorrect modeling.
The above-discussed solution has been applied in a project of reclamation at Westward
Extension of Jurong Island, Singapore for one year, with great success. The scanning results
were acceptable for both supplier and client, and the on-board scanning and subsequent
processing and reporting were completed within reasonable time frames. The future direction
of improvement shall be to adopt lighter and more reliable scanners, and better software to
reduce processing time.
BIOGRAPHY
Dr. Huang Mingzhi is currently running Nanyang Surveying and Systems, a licensed survey
firm in Singapore specialized in land & engineering surveying, 3D scanning and automatic
monitoring systems. From 1988 to 1996 he was in China, as Survey Group Leader of
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th

13 South East Asian Survey Congress

Expanding the Geospatial Future
28th 31st July 2015
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Guangdong Nuclear Power Plant, and lecturer of Hohai University. Since 1996, he worked in
Singapore as land surveyor, GIS specialist, and Supervising Registered Surveyor for more
than 10 instrumentation and monitoring projects.
He was educated at Tongji University and Wuhan University in China. Now he is Registered
Surveyor of Singapore, and Chartered Land Surveyor of UK.
CONTACTS
Dr Huang Mingzhi
Nanyang Surveying and Systems
3 Soon Lee Street, #04-27 Pioneer Junction
Singapore
Email: mingzhi@singnet.com.sg

2/2
th

13 South East Asian Survey Congress

Expanding the Geospatial Future
28th 31st July 2015
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore