RWE has achieved a significant milestone in advancing offshore wind logistics. For the first time in German offshore airspace, long-range autonomous and short-distance cargo drones have been successfully pioneered in the daily operations of offshore wind farms. In a multi-phase pilot project, RWE demonstrated how different drone types can be used to deliver spare parts, tools and consumables. The trials were conducted at RWE’s Nordsee Ost wind farm, which is located north of the German island Heligoland, and Arkona wind farm in the German Baltic Sea. RWE’s partners in this project were: Skyways, a designer and manufacturer of long-range autonomous unmanned cargo aircraft systems; Skyports Drone Services (Skyports), a global leader in drone-enabled delivery and inspection; and Ampelmann Operations, the Dutch offshore access provider enabling safe and efficient personnel and cargo transfers offshore.
Sven Utermöhlen, CEO RWE Offshore Wind: “As offshore wind scales so must our logistics at sea. Our trials showed that cargo drones can complement traditional logistics by unlocking uptime, improving safety, as well as cutting costs and emissions. Cargo drones could thus become an integrated part of operating and maintaining our global offshore wind fleet in future.”
Three different trial set-ups, one goal
The cargo drone pilot project is part of RWE’s wider ambition to integrate innovative technologies that increase efficiency and sustainability in day-to-day offshore wind farm operations. In total, three different trial series were conducted in 2024 and 2025. The aim of the trials was to demonstrate how cargo drones can improve logistical flexibility in challenging offshore environments.
Autonomous long-distance flights from port to wind turbines and offshore substation
The latest trial series took place in September on the German island of Rügen. As part of a three-week flight demonstration, a Version 2 series drone from Skyways regularly took off from Mukran Port. It flew an autonomous route of over 40 kilometres out to the Arkona offshore wind farm, with up to 10 kilogrammes of cargo. Once at the wind farm, it approached its target wind turbine, locked onto the turbine nacelle and performed an automated cargo drop. With the cargo drop complete, the drone then autonomously flew back to Mukran Port and its original take-off point. The flights were supervised by Skyports’ pilots. Cargo deliveries to the turbines usually rely on a boat journey from Rügen to Arkona offshore wind farm, which takes at least an hour. The drones, however, completed their flight in under 30 minutes. These flights can be booked on demand, providing a more flexible, efficient and sustainable alternative for delivering small, time-critical parts at an operational wind farm.
These complex cargo delivery trials by autonomous drones from Mukran port to the top of the turbines built on the experience from previous flight trials conducted in 2024. During those trials, autonomous and safe delivery of components weighing up to 4 kilogrammes from Murkan Port to the Arkona offshore substation was successfully demonstrated using an electric fixed wing drone.
Germany’s first long-range drone deliveries to offshore wind turbines
The latest trials at Arkona offshore wind farm represent the first repeated series of BVLOS (Beyond Visual Line of Sight) turbine deliveries in German offshore wind, an industry-first achievement to RWE’s knowledge. These fully autonomous flights had a predefined flight path that did not depend on mobile network coverage. They were executed without human intervention and under full regulatory compliance.
Short-distance drone delivery from a service operation vessel to wind turbines
Early this year, RWE pioneered short-distance flights between a service operation vessel to wind turbines at its Nordsee Ost offshore wind farm. During these trials, payloads of up to 30 kilogrammes were delivered by an electric multirotor drone which is now capable of carrying cargo of up to 100 kilogrammes. The pre-delivery of spare parts, tools and consumables to the turbine top allows two key challenges in the maintenance of offshore wind farms to be addressed: overpacking and long lifting times. The trials proved to RWE that in the future, a minimum of 1.5 hours could be saved per turbine visit. In addition, fuel consumption and technician workload were reduced. These trials, supported by Ampelmann Operations, also included a medical emergency simulation, successfully delivering supplies to the nacelle by drone and proving its potential in critical scenarios.
From first trials to redefining daily offshore wind logistics
RWE’s cargo drone pilot project has run more than 80 successful offshore flights. Now that technical feasibility is proven, RWE’s focus will shift to scaling operations. The advantages are clear: By reducing the need for cranes and manual handling, cargo drone deliveries can improve safety. Fewer vessel trips and helicopter flights mean lower CO₂ emissions and cost savings through reduced fuel consumption. Furthermore, fast and flexible drone cargo delivery could lead to swifter completion of jobs, which in turn could lead to higher turbine availability.
Leading global player in offshore wind
RWE is one of the world’s leading companies in offshore wind. The company currently operates 19 offshore wind farms in five countries. Furthermore, RWE currently has four offshore wind projects under construction: Sofia (1.4 GW) in the UK, Thor in Denmark (1.1 GW, RWE share: 51%), OranjeWind (795 MW, RWE share: 50%) off the Dutch coast and Nordseecluster (1.6 GW, RWE share: 51%) north of the German island of Juist.
A video from the cargo drone trials at Arkona offshore wind farm can be found here.
Images for media use are available at the RWE Media Centre.
