Client: Drumderg Services | Location: Newcastle Airport | Project Type: Cold Cutting | Date: 16/04/2025
Silver Raven was engaged by Drumderg Services to deliver a highly specialised remote cutting solution during critical excavation works at Newcastle Airport. The team unexpectedly encountered a buried, decommissioned jet fuel tank, posing a major safety concern. With unknown residual contents and the inherent volatility of jet fuel vapours, traditional cutting methods—such as grinding or torch cutting—presented an extreme fire and explosion risk.
To address this, Silver Raven developed and implemented a robotic cold cutting solution. Our technicians programmed a robotic arm equipped with a precision cold cutting head to remotely access and cut into the steel tank without generating heat or sparks. This method provided a completely non-ignition-based cutting process, ensuring zero risk of vapour ignition while maintaining absolute operator safety through remote execution.
The purpose of the cutting was to safely create an access point into the tank, allowing it to be filled with concrete and permanently isolated in compliance with environmental and aviation safety regulations. This solution eliminated the need for personnel to work in confined or hazardous conditions and enabled the client to move forward with excavation works safely and efficiently.
This project highlights Silver Raven’s capabilities in robotic cutting, remote access operations, and high-risk asset decommissioning—particularly in critical infrastructure zones like airports. Our cold cutting technology is ideally suited for work involving fuel tanks, pipelines, or any scenario where spark-free, precision cutting is required.
