Marco Polo Marine Ltd. and F-drones Pte. Ltd. have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to co-develop the world’s first large-scale, electric, aerial delivery drones for offshore wind farms.
The partnership will see both companies co-develop drones customized for deployment in Asia-Pacific, to send supplies and critical items to offshore wind installations.
F-drones, which has been developing drones to deliver cargoes of up to 100kg over 100km, will offer its advanced drone technology expertise, while Marco Polo Marine will provide strong technical operating and commercial capabilities in the offshore wind sector.
The use of these new delivery drones is expected to result in more than 90% cost savings, and is four times faster than traditional means of delivery, which rely on boats and occasionally helicopters as the key modes of transport.
Utilizing drones will result in a significant reduction in fuel consumption when conducting remote delivery of packages of up to 100kg and emergency deliveries to vessels. The use of drones will also result in lower Carbon Dioxide Equivalent (CO2e) emissions – which includes CO2 and other greenhouse gases – of up to 99%, as compared to sending a supply boat or Crew Transfer Vessel (CTV) for 100kg loads over 100km to offshore wind farms.
“It gives us great pleasure to unveil this collaboration with F-drones,” said Mr Sean Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Marco Polo Marine. “The partnership is an example of different industry players with aligned values coming together to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which is in line with global and Singapore government initiatives. By enabling efficient and sustainable maritime logistics, this collaboration will boost the offshore maritime industry, as it transitions to fuels with a lower or minimal carbon footprint.”
“The world’s energy transition not only requires building renewable energy assets, but also the ability to service them sustainably,” Mr Nicolas Ang, Chief Executive Officer of F-drones, added. “Our partnership with Marco Polo Marine is a case-in-point, which has the potential to transform the future of logistics across offshore wind farms globally.”
