Equinor Completes World First Drone Operation

Equinor (NYSE: EQNR) has completed the world’s first logistics operation with a drone to an offshore installation, the company announced late last week.

Under the operation, a drone flew a 3D printed part for the lifeboat system from the Mongstad base to the Troll A platform in the North Sea. The operation was completed efficiently and according to plan, Equinor noted.

The flight spanned around 50 miles to the Troll field and took about one hour. An altitude of around 5,000 feet was reached by the drone, which is more than 13 feet long and weighs in excess of 220 lbs, Equinor highlighted.

“Development is rapid, and we see a huge potential within drone technology that could transform the way we operate, both under and above the sea surface,” Arne Sigve Nylund, Equinor’s vice president for development and production in Norway, said in a statement posted on the company’s website.

“Equinor aims to lead the way in utilizing new technology on the Norwegian continental shelf,” Nylund added in the statement.

“Drones could reinforce safety, boost production efficiency and contribute to lower CO2 emissions from Norwegian oil and gas. Drones will also play a role as we shape new energy solutions on the Norwegian shelf,” Nylund went on to say.

Alena Korbovà Pedersen, who heads the work on developing logistics solutions in Equinor, said, “over the longer term, we expect to see new infrastructure for logistics and support operations, which can reinforce what we already have within vessels and helicopters”.

“If we are to develop the logistics solutions of the future on the Norwegian shelf, where drones could play an important role, we must cooperate across all of the industry’s players; operating companies, suppliers, the authorities and the trade union and safety interests,” Pedersen added.

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