SEASHORE: - Shore to Sea Drone Delivery Services meeting strict Maritime Vessel and Stakeholder Requirements

Currently launch craft are used to deliver goods and parts to ocean going vessels that do not plan to come into port.

However, launch craft are expensive to maintain, typically run using fossil fuels and can present risk not only to cargo but also to human life when fighting difficult sea conditions.

COVID-19 restrictions have further complicated this form of delivery.

In addition to ocean going vessels, the Solent is home to many hundreds of large leisure craft, that often require resupply during cruises. Southampton is also home to several cruise liners which may benefit from resupply when at sea.

Project SEASHORE is a feasibility study that will demonstrate and evaluate a shore to ship drone based delivery system. The system will be developed at high speed by adapting already available components designed and fabricated by Motion Robotics, optimising them for the sea delivery use case,

The feasibility success criteria are based on observations and stated aims already well identified by a number of shore to ship drone delivery projects in the USA, Singapore and the Netherlands, as well as requirements of the USA and UK navies. In effect meeting these criteria mean that you have solved all the underlying technologies and needs for a fully commercial system.

SEASHORE's technical challenges cover a range of topics; we need to make deliveries more rapid, we need to increase (double) our drone payloads, the drones need to be fire safe meeting the needs of new fossil free gas driven shipping, drone flight control and parcel delivery needs to account for vessel motion particularly heaving.

To compete it must be achieved at lower cost, reduce environmental impact and remove the risk of injury to crew.

The project includes non-funded partners with deep knowledge of the maritime world, merchant navy, best practice procedures, needs of the shipping industry and their commercial requirements.

The key outcome of the project will be a demonstration and evaluation of shore to sea deliveries on the Solent waters. This will be done on Fawley waters, close to shore and without the need for CAA flight approval, with the aim being to prove it can be extended with full CAA approvals and fully commercialised.

In the longer term, SEASHORE will use key strategic positions within the Solent, to establish a network of launch locations for our drones to access anchorages around the Isle of Wight and the south coast.