• UK-based drone logistics company Skyports has entered into two commercial partnerships with Thome Group, a fully integrated ship management company, and Wilhelmsen, a ship agent, to introduce drone-based ship-to-shore delivery services in Singapore.

• Separate trials will be conducted in collaboration with Maritime Port Authority (MPA) and other government agencies in Singapore for proof-of-concept (PoC) operations—which would help the company to commercialize such operations in the future.

• Over the course of the partnerships, Skyports intends to conduct up to 100 drone-based beyond visual line of sight (BVLOS) deliveries from the government-owned Maritime Drone Estate's temporary distribution center to boats at pre-determined anchorages.

<ul><li> Analyst QuickTake: The news comes just two weeks after Skyports raised USD 23 million in Series B funding, partially to expand its drone services. UK-based peer startup Malloy Aeronautics has also trialed drone-based ship-to-shore delivery simulations in partnership with defense sector organizations in the US. US-based startup A2Z Drone Delivery also develops drones for various applications including ship-to-shore deliveries.</ul>