Drone delivers bunker samples to tanker offshore

Skyports Drone Services has completed the drone delivery of bunker fuel samples to a tanker at anchorage in Singapore, working in collaboration with TFG Marine.

The delivery involved transporting bunker samples from a supply vessel to the anchored tanker using a multirotor drone, offering what Skyports described as a faster, more efficient, and lower-emissions alternative to traditional launch boat deliveries.

Skyports director of drone services Alex Brown said, “With Singapore seeing over 130,000 vessel calls annually, according to statistics from the MPA, drone technology has real potential to reduce the risks associated with vessel-to-vessel transfers in Singapore’s port waters and enhance operational efficiency. After extensive research, training and preparation by our team over the last two years, we’re proud to see our team successfully and safely completing their trials, providing a proven roadmap to drone operations around marine refuelling environments.”

The operation was carried out for TFG Marine, the marine fuels joint venture between Trafigura, Frontline and Golden Ocean, with the drones successfully transporting bunker fuel samples to and from TFG Marine’s 2023-built tanker Diligence.

This provides a faster, safer, and more sustainable alternative to in-person deliveries made by TFG Marine’s launch boats, which involve less efficient vessel-to-vessel crossings of delivery personnel.

Operated remotely from MPA’s Maritime Innovation Lab 3.0, the Speedbird DLV-2 drone departed Skyports’ designated take off and landing pad (TOLP) at the Maritime Drone Estate, flying beyond visible line of sight to the vessel.

Once at the vessel, the drone descended above the deck, lowering a cargo box on its winch, to where trained TFG Marine crew loaded the bunker oil sample. Signalling to the remote pilot, the crew vacated the area to a safe zone, with the remote pilot retracting the winch and flying the drone back to the TOLP.

From there, TFG Marine personnel collected the oil sample, taking it to its lab on land for quality testing.