GAC, a shipping, logistics and marine services provider, and F-drones, a drone startup based in Singapore, are working together to develop drones capable of delivering supplies to offshore oil and gas rigs and ships.

The collaborators are working to design large-scale drones capable of delivering up to 100 kg of supplies more than 60 miles offshore.

So far, a drone prototype has been developed that can handle 5 kg of cargo and can travel 30 miles offshore.

Once developed, a larger scale delivery drone could potentially reduce the cost, time and demand on manpower as other modes of delivery, via boat or helicopter for instance, cost more, take longer and require human intervention.

Additionally, the F-drones are entirely electric, thereby reducing the impact on the environment, and limiting human contact — which is particularly important during the current worldwide pandemic.

In April, F-drones completed its first commercial beyond-visual-line-of-sight (BVLOS) drone delivery in Singapore. The drone delivered 2 kg of vitamins over 1.5 miles in 7 minutes.