Swiss drone technology company RigiTech recently sent its flagship aircraft Eiger on a new delivery route to transport spare parts for an offshore wind farm off the coast of Denmark. This was the drone’s inaugural flight in that area, with the entire operation being controlled remotely from Copenhagen.
Most drone delivery companies we hear about usually use their aircraft to deliver food items or medical supplies. But lately, we’ve also seen these flying machines being used for yet another purpose: to support the offshore energy sector by transporting spare parts to wind farms. German drone company Wingcopter is one such example, planning to deploy its flagship W198 drone for such operations starting in 2024, through an agreement with German logistics and aviation company Zeitfracht Group and its subsidiary, German Airways.
Now we’re also seeing RigiTech joining this growing trend. The Switzerland-based company announced that its largest drone, Eiger, recently performed its inaugural flight on a delivery route to the offshore substation of a wind turbine park off the coast of Denmark, which consists of more than 100 wind turbines. This was a test flight and is part of a partnership signed between RigiTech and energy company Ørsted, with Danish autonomous systems operator Holo and logistics company DSV also pitching in.
RigiTech’s drone took off from Ørsted’s warehouse in Greena on Tuesday and landed on the offshore substation of the Anholt offshore wind farm in the Kattegat strait. It successfully delivered the spare parts and then flew back to the warehouse.
The delivery route was operated entirely remotely from Holo’s office in Copenhagen, Denmark, via RigiTech’s proprietary software, in what the latter describes as a world’s first operation.
In addition to helping offshore and maritime industries become greener, deliveries by drone are also safer, more reliable, and more convenient. They don’t require additional infrastructure, they are extremely accurate, they don’t require any human operators to put their lives at risk, and most of them are capable of withstanding extreme weather conditions. Moreover, RigiTech’s drones can carry out multiple flights during the same day in shorter delivery times.
Eiger is solidly built, can access hard-to-reach areas, and can handle winds of up to 54 kph (over 33 mph). It has a payload capacity of up to 3 kg (6.6 lb) and offers ranges of up to more than 100 km (62 miles) on a battery charge.
Cristina’s always found writing more comfortable to do than speaking, which is why she chose print over broadcast media in college. When she’s not typing, she also loves riding non-motorized two-wheelers, going on hikes with her dog, and rocking her electric guitars. Full profile
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