Wilhelmsen unveils agency by air at Nor-Shipping

TIN news:  Wilhelmsen Ships Service (WSS)’s agency team will participate at this year’s Nor-Shipping conference, in Oslo and Lillestrøm, Norway, in the Disruptive Sustainability hall, where it is going to unveil delivery of agency essentials via drone.

The company plans to launch a large scale working pilot project, in spite of the complexity of global aviation rules and restrictions placed on unmaned aerial vehicles.

It is WSS ’ships agency team, rather than the company’s supply chain, or product divisions, which have been assessing the business opportunities offered by drones.

Marius Johansen, VP Business Solutions & Marketing, WSS Ships Agency explains: “Whether it is deliveries of critical documents or vital medical supplies, tank inspections, or monitoring cargo and stockpile levels, we believe semi-autonomous drone flights can support and further enhance what our ships agency team can offer our customers”.

Dispensing with the need for launch boats to deliver such essentials to vessels at anchorage, along with cutting delivery times, Johansen estimates drone flights will also slash costs. With launch vessels typically costing on average 1500USD, he suggests a drone delivery would eventually come down to costing just 150USD.