Skyports has entered into two new commercial partnerships with Thome Group, a fully integrated ship management company, and Wilhelmsen Ships Agency, one of the worlds’ largest ships agents. The agreements will accelerate Skyports’ ambitions in bringing drone delivery services to Singapore’s bustling maritime sector, according to the company.
Skyports is on the path to full-scale commercialisation of maritime shore-to-ship delivery services and the concurrent development of the necessary infrastructure to support these services for all industry players in Singapore and beyond, said the company.
Yun-Yuan Tay, Head of APAC, Skyports said, “Looking ahead, we hope to continue developing the AAM industry in Singapore and the region to enhance processes in the maritime industry – by reducing delivery times and carbon emissions, providing a new transportation option that is both more efficient and more sustainable.”
Separate trials will see Skyports – in close collaboration with Wilhelmsen Ships Agency and Thome Group, as well as the Maritime Port Authority (MPA) in Singapore, and other government agencies – lead the development and testing of the Concept of Operations (ConOps) for Proof of Concept (PoC) operations for shore-to-ship drone deliveries, leading into the operationalisation of drone delivery services in the maritime sector. Skyports’ trials will deploy Beyond Visual Line of Sight (BVLOS) deliveries from the temporary drone delivery distribution hub at the Maritime Drone Estate to vessels at pre-identified anchorages. Skyports is looking to complete up to 100 deliveries over the partnership period.
(Image: Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore)