Wilson Sons announced on Wednesday (April 29) the start of a new phase of testing with drones for delivery and collection of documents intended for support vessels serving oil and gas platforms in Guanabara Bay, Rio de Janeiro. The initiative represents an important technological advance for maritime and offshore logistics in Brazil.
According to the company, testing began on April 6 and is conducted through its Maritime Agency, with support from the offshore support base located in Rio. The project continues the experience started last year at Salvador Port (BA), where the company conducted similar operations in a port environment.
The drones used belong to Speedbird Aero, a company specialized in unmanned aerial logistics, with over a thousand flights conducted in the offshore sector in Singapore, a world reference in this type of operation. In Brazil, the tests received all necessary authorizations from the National Civil Aviation Agency (Anac) and the Department of Airspace Control (Decea).
Wilson Sons reported that the vehicles will be used to transport light objects, with a capacity of up to five kilos, mainly documents and small materials. The estimated average time between the base and the vessels is up to nine minutes, covering an approximate air distance of eight kilometers.
According to the sector's assessment, the innovation represents a significant operational leap, as it reduces the need for displacement by auxiliary vessels for simple tasks, which contributes to lower operational risk, greater speed and reduction of indirect costs.
According to Rodrigo Lopes, operations manager of the company's maritime agency, the use of drones "is a landmark in the port and logistics sector," as it makes operations safer and more efficient, while contributing to decarbonization of the offshore energy industry.
The general manager of offshore support bases, Edwardo Valverde, highlighted that the initiative points to a modernization trend in the country's energy sector, aligned with sustainability goals and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions (GHG).
For the maritime and port sector, the project signals a digital transformation movement increasingly present in Brazilian operations, especially in strategic areas such as support for the pre-sal, offshore platforms and high-complexity logistics services.
