Atlantis: Optimising port operations through ubiquitous ship-to-shore drone delivery services

Drone technology is starting to come of age, and many organisations see the potential for the very latest drone technologies to connect people and places in ways we never thought possible. At the centre of this revolution, Skyports is working with Heron AirBridge, a Singapore-based organisation to develop new drone services that undertake deliveries to ships at anchor in ports around the UK and beyond. The project will create the worlds most advanced, fully commercial ship-to-shore drone delivery service, transforming port and shipping operations.

Skyports and Heron AirBridge will use their knowledge, expertise and technical capabilities to enhance the ship-to-shore drone delivery network and introduce new systems that enable drones to fly at night, in highly changeable weather conditions, with vessels that anchor further from the port, deal with secure payloads and operate on vessels that are considered higher risk, such as those carrying oil, gas or other hazardous materials.

Whilst the majority of the development, proving, testing and integration work will be undertaken in the UK, once proven, live flights to demonstrate the new technology in action will be undertaken in the Port of Singapore, one of the world's busiest ports. The new service will then be offered to ports and shipping companies on a global scale, supporting the global supply chains on which we all depend and placing the UK at the forefront of ship-to-shore drone delivery service provision, creating inward investment and driving creation of new high-skill, high-tech UK-based jobs in an exciting new market.