Denmark-based Maersk Tankers has trialled drone deliveries at sea in order to reduce shipping costs of urgent parcels.

During its first trial, the drone dropped a tiny parcel from a 5m height above the deck of one of Maersk’s tanker vessels located near Kalundborg, Denmark.

According to a gCaptain report, the drone could not be launched from the coast as expected because of bad weather, but was instead launched from a nearby tugboat.

With the new delivery method, Maersk seeks to ship urgent spare parts and medicine at a much lower cost than the existing delivery methods.

"It is fundamental that any drones used by Maersk Tankers are safe for the environment they are operating in."

Maersk supply chain manager Markus Kuhn said: "Costs for a barge are on average $1,000 and can easily go up to $3,000 or more.

"With the current payload of drones, on average a vessel has three cases per year in which the barge transport could be substituted by a drone, meaning a potential avoidance of barge costs of $3,000 to $9,000 per vessel per year.

"And if you consider that Maersk Tankers has around 100 vessels, the savings potential could be substantial."

The company used an ATEX (zone 2) approved drone from French company Xamen during the test, which was permitted by Danish authorities.

Following the test, Maersk expects to use it for other services such as inspections, reports Motorship.

Kuhn also added: "It is fundamental that any drones used by Maersk Tankers are safe for the environment they are operating in.

"They must be certified as intrinsically safe for most tasks, so they cannot create any spark, even if they were to crash.

"Some inspections can pose risks if performed by humans. If drones are approved for tank inspections, it will improve safety on tankers and potentially in other oil-related installations."