‘‘Underwater inspection is the continuation of the onshore fabrication
of a facility through shipment, installation, to operation. It
is first required during installation and then periodically when the
facility is operational’’ [5, p. 23].
Inspection is generally the assignment to monitor the actual
state of an object, machine or construction. Due to the inspection
results maintenance can be planned, also the time for the replacement
of the inspected object when required. Regular inspection
will detect failures in an early state, but inspection itself is not
gratis. A balance between the maintenance costs and the inspection
costs has to be found. Additionally, safety issues have to be
considered for planning and execution of the inspections, while automatic
inspections will reduce the costs.