Ørsted reports that it has completed a new trial of a large cargo delivery drone at its North Sea Hornsea 2 offshore wind farm. According to the company, the trial was to test whether drones could be a viable way to replace routine sea vessel trips for maintenance operations and costs.

The trial was run in conjunction with Skyports Drone Services (Skyports) using one of its large cargo drones. According to a press release, the Skyports team developed a novel load-collection method with automatic hook operation for the trial.

Importantly, the drones were operated beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS), meaning drone operators didn’t need to keep visual contact with the drones. In this case, the team demonstrated delivery across roughly 2.5 miles (4 km) of the wind farm without even seeing them.

This, the team explained, reduced human involvement as much as possible by allowing the drone to pick up and drop off payloads all by itself. The trial ran for around four weeks and required collaboration from a diverse team of safety, aviation, drone operators, and other technicians.

It also required close coordination with the United Kingdom’s Civil Aviation Authority. As for the kits, each weighed between 121 pounds (55 kg) and 143 pounds (65 kg) and contained tools, spare parts, and other materials for specific tasks.

These packs were then delivered to different turbines before technicians arrived to carry out work. After completion, drones were then used to collect the used kits and return them to the Service Operations Vessel (SOV).

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