Maersk plays with drones for making deliveries to vessels, inspections
DENMARK's Maersk Group is experimenting with the use of drones for delivering goods, after Maersk Tankers collaborated with drone maker Xamen Technologies to successfully deliver a tin of biscuits to a bulk tanker, and is looking at other potential uses for drones.
For the test, the shipping heavyweight used an "octocopter" drone with eight individual propellers and maximum speed of 16 metres per second and a maximum payload of two kilogrammes.
"Drones can make savings in both costs and time," said Maersk Tankers supply chain manager Markus Kuhn.
"There are high costs for on-board delivery of small parcels, filled with urgent spare parts or mail, because of the need for a barge."
The company said "drone use could with the current payload bring potential savings of US$3,000-$9,000 per vessel per year, Maersk Tankers estimates".
The shipping line said it is not only testing drones for tanker deliveries, but for inspections group wide, with Maersk Oil using them for installations in the North Sea and APM Terminals for cranes in its port terminal operations.
"Other potential uses as drone technology are developing rapidly," the company said. "They could carry out inspections or piracy look-out in high-risk transits. Inspections could include high quality photos or videos of certain areas, such as the transom stern and flare on the bow, or cargo tanks."
DENMARK's Maersk Group is experimenting with the use of drones for delivering goods, after Maersk Tankers collaborated with drone maker Xamen Technologies to successfully deliver a tin of biscuits to a bulk tanker, and is looking at other potential uses for drones.
For the test, the shipping heavyweight used an "octocopter" drone with eight individual propellers and maximum speed of 16 metres per second and a maximum payload of two kilogrammes.
"Drones can make savings in both costs and time," said Maersk Tankers supply chain manager Markus Kuhn.
"There are high costs for on-board delivery of small parcels, filled with urgent spare parts or mail, because of the need for a barge."
The company said "drone use could with the current payload bring potential savings of US$3,000-$9,000 per vessel per year, Maersk Tankers estimates".
The shipping line said it is not only testing drones for tanker deliveries, but for inspections group wide, with Maersk Oil using them for installations in the North Sea and APM Terminals for cranes in its port terminal operations.
"Other potential uses as drone technology are developing rapidly," the company said. "They could carry out inspections or piracy look-out in high-risk transits. Inspections could include high quality photos or videos of certain areas, such as the transom stern and flare on the bow, or cargo tanks."