Schiebel, together with partner Nordic Unmanned, successfully demonstrated to Norwegian energy company Equinor the cargo delivery capability of its unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), the Camcopter S-100, to offshore platform Troll A. This is a world’s first in terms of full-scale offshore UAV delivery from shore to an active oil and gas installation.
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The exercise simulated the scenario of an urgent requirement for specific essential spare parts at the gas production platform Troll A. The Camcopter S-100 successfully carried out the long-range delivery flight from Mongstad, where the spare parts were 3D-printed, to the offshore platform Troll A located in the North Sea. The unmanned delivery distance was 62 miles (55 nautical miles). After the UAV supplied the spare parts, it carried out a close inspection around the platform before it headed back to Mongstad.
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The flight trials also included a successful search-and-rescue (SAR) mission, where a “man over board” dummy was quickly located by the UAV, transmitting the positioning data and live images using the L3 Harris Wescam real-time Electro-Optical/Infra-Red (EO/IR) camera and an automatic identification system (AIS).
“This was the perfect trial to show off the exceptional maritime capabilities of the S-100 for the oil and gas industry. We have extensive experience in long-range unmanned flights, especially in the maritime domain and under adverse weather conditions. The S-100 was able to show off its outstanding capabilities and we have proven once again that the S-100 UAV is the superior choice,” said Hans Georg Schiebel, chairman of the Schiebel Group.
