Singapore launches maritime drone test bed facility

The Maritime Drone Estate (MDE) located close to Marina South pier on Tuesday is designed as a test bed for ship to shore delivery by drones, rather than having to use launches, and remote inspections, both of which would reduce costs.

To officially launch the facility Chee Hong Tat,  Singapore’s Senior Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and Transport, loaded a 3D-printed part into a drone carriage for delivery to a vessel on the nearby anchorage.

“Technology has played a pivotal role in helping the maritime sector remain resilient during the Covid-19 pandemic. The launch of the Maritime Drone Estate marks an important milestone in advancing Singapore’s journey towards the use of emerging technologies in the maritime sector,” Minister Chee said.

“As we embark on this exciting future, we look forward to supporting our industry partners and growing more start-ups to build a thriving maritime innovation ecosystem.”

Earlier in the day Chee had outlined new measures by Singapore to encourage the growth of maritime technology start-ups in the country including test bed facilities such as the drone estate.

The companies present at the event were Airbus, Avetics Global, F-drones, Garuda Robotics, M1, Nova Systems Asia, Skyports, ST Engineering, thyssenkrupp, Wilhelmsen Ships Service, and Volocopter.

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