Drone Makes 120 km Chocolate Run Across the North Sea
A drone has completed a remarkable offshore logistics flight in Germany: departing from Norden Airfield, it flew approximately 120 kilometres across the North Sea to an offshore vessel, where it delivered a 10 kg payload. After releasing the cargo, the drone returned to the German mainland. The entire mission covered almost 250 kilometres and took less than three hours. The payload? 10 kg of chocolate, much to the delight of the vessel’s crew.
From mainland to offshore vessel
The flight was carried out as part of the European DIOL project (Develop Innovative Offshore Logistics) and targeted the Bibby WaveMaster Horizon, a Service Operation Vessel (SOV) supporting the Hohe See and Albatros offshore wind farms.
According to Vincenz Schneider, Expert Offshore Drone Operations & Innovation at EnBW, the mission is believed to be the first of its kind in the German Bight, with a drone flying from the German mainland to an offshore vessel, delivering its cargo and returning to shore.
Importantly, this was not a short-range drone operation between the SOV and a nearby wind turbine. The drone covered the entire distance from the mainland to the vessel, demonstrating a potential new logistics application for offshore wind farms.
The flight was performed using the Skyways V2, a hybrid VTOL cargo drone designed for long-range logistics. The aircraft uses eight electric motors for vertical take-off and landing, combined with a heavy-fuel engine for horizontal cruise flight. According to Skyways, the V2 has a maximum range of around 720 kilometres and can carry up to approximately 14 kg of useful payload. For previous offshore trials, the aircraft carried payloads of up to 10 kg.
Spare parts on demand
The chocolate was, of course, not the main objective of the test. In a real-world scenario, drones could be used to transport spare parts, tools or other relatively small items to vessels at sea.
This could be particularly useful when a component is needed urgently and the vessel cannot wait for the next scheduled supply run. Drone deliveries could also provide an alternative when a suitable helicopter slot is unavailable.
For the crew of the Bibby WaveMaster Horizon, however, the chocolate was a welcome payload. From an operational perspective, the important factor was its weight rather than its contents.
Testing BVLOS operations
The mission was also intended to generate practical experience with long-range BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) drone operations in the German Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
According to EnBW, such demonstrations can help refine the regulatory framework for safe offshore BVLOS operations. Clear and predictable regulations are considered an important prerequisite for insurers, investors and companies looking to deploy drone logistics commercially.
The project brings together Fraunhofer IFAM as research lead, DSV – Global Transport and Logistics as UAS operator, Bibby Marine as vessel operator and EnBW/EOS as wind farm operator and provider of the operational use case. The project is supported by the Interreg North Sea Programme.
The first delivery may have been chocolate, but the longer-term ambition is considerably more practical: using drones to get urgently needed equipment from the mainland to offshore operations without having to wait for the next vessel or helicopter.
