Ampelmann Completes Over 250 Cargo Drone O&M Transport Flights at 857MW UK Offshore Wind Farm

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On September 21, Dutch offshore services provider Ampelmann disclosed that it and RWE have completed a six-week cargo drone logistics operation at the Triton Knoll offshore wind farm in the UK. Between August and September, the drones carried out more than 250 flights in total, transporting over 9 tonnes of tools, maintenance spare parts and safety equipment between the service operation vessel and the wind turbines. The Triton Knoll offshore wind farm has an installed capacity of 857MW, and RWE plans to take over all maintenance work for the project in 2027.

This operation integrated drones directly into routine offshore wind O&M logistics. The drones can deliver cargo to turbine nacelles and main access platforms, and pre-deliver the tools and equipment needed before technicians arrive at the worksite; after maintenance work is completed, the relevant cargo can also be retrieved from the turbine side back to the service operation vessel by drone.

The unmanned pick-up system used by Ampelmann can handle payloads of up to 80 kilograms per lift. The system consists of a drone, a winch and a pick-up hook, and can automatically grasp and release cargo. The company has also developed flight control software for vessel-to-turbine operations; routine flight segments are executed automatically by the software, while pilots are responsible for continuous monitoring and can intervene manually when needed.

The project also arranged nighttime cargo transport, carrying out lifts during periods when the service operation vessel was not engaged in primary operations. Ampelmann disclosed that with drones participating in O&M logistics, the effective working hours available to technicians for actual repair work increased by about 15% to 20%, while reducing routine crane preparation, vessel movements and manual cargo handling.

Triton Knoll is located about 32 kilometers off the coast of Lincolnshire, UK, and consists of 90 Vestas V164-9.5MW turbines. It was fully commissioned in January 2022. Ampelmann had previously conducted cargo drone tests with RWE at German offshore wind farms, implementing short-distance drone transport at the 295MW Nordsee Ost project in 2025 with payloads of up to 30 kilograms per flight; RWE subsequently completed more than 80 related flights in total at Nordsee Ost and the 385MW Arkona offshore wind farm.