The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) is supporting Wilhelmsen Ship Service and Airbus in their pilot trial of deliveries from shore to vessels anchored off the coast with an unmanned aerial system (UAS), in the second half of 2018.
Wilhelmsen Ship Service and Airbus announced on 5 June 2018 that they will be collaborating on an experimental project to deliver spare parts, documents, water test kits and 3D printed consumables via Airbus’ Skyways UAS to vessels at Singapore’s anchorage. This trial is a culmination of over a year of planning and collaboration between the two companies, with support from the MPA.
Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive of MPA, said,
Andrew Tan
“We are pleased to support Wilhelmsen and Airbus in their pilot trial as one of the new initiatives under the MPA Living Lab.
MPA will provide a suitable test-bed in the Port of Singapore for both companies to test their systems at sea and enable us to develop the regulatory framework for drone deliveries.
The use of such innovative technology could help improve productivity and free up manpower and resources that could be deployed for other value-added jobs.”
The MPA set up the Living Lab last year to provide a technology partnership platform with sufficient scale and real operating conditions in the Port of Singapore, for technology providers and industry partners to plug into for the development and pilot of innovative solutions for the maritime sector.
The use of robotics and autonomous systems, including drones, is one of the key focus areas of the Living Lab. Other areas of focus include data analytics and intelligent systems, smart and innovative structures, and safety and security.
