Operations Other

On 7 August 2024, Ørsted launched the world's first operational heavy-lift cargo drone (HLCD) campaign in an offshore wind setting at the 752 MW Borssele 1 & 2 offshore wind farm in the Dutch North Sea. The 70-kilogram drones, with a 2.6-metre wingspan, ferried cargo of up to 100 kilograms from a service vessel to all 94 Siemens Gamesa 8 MW turbines, replacing conventional vessel transfers that typically take around six hours per turbine with roughly four-minute flights. For this campaign Ørsted used the drone-enabled supply chain to update critical evacuation and safety equipment in each turbine. The deployment followed an earlier proof-of-concept trial at Hornsea 1 in the UK and was framed by Ørsted as a step toward routine drone-supported offshore wind maintenance, delivering 10-15x time savings versus conventional vessel logistics while avoiding turbine shutdowns during cargo transfers, lowering personnel risk during vessel-to-turbine handoffs, and cutting CO2 emissions tied to repeat vessel trips. A specific cargo drone operator was not publicly named; Ørsted indicated it was actively seeking long-term partnerships with cargo drone services providers.