This week’s “Around the Commercial Drone Industry” news round-up looks at a new study on the offshore drone inspection market, Deutsche Bahn’s plan to expand its drone-based railway inspection operations, and Bulgaria’s Dronamics, Europe’s first fully licensed cargo drone airline.

Steady growth predicted for the offshore drone inspection market

A new report from Fact.MR predicts that the offshore drone inspection market will “reach US$ 421.6 million in 2023 and grow at a healthy 13% CAGR between 2023 and 2033,” putting the total market at US$ 1,456.8 million by 2033. According to the study, “The various advantages offered by advanced drones (stability, low deployment costs, improved data quality, superior navigation algorithms, etc.) have increased their use in offshore inspection and maintenance services.” The study names the oil and gas industry as one of the leading adopters of the technology, but also states that the Filming & Photography sector is among the market leaders. In addition, Fact.MR reports that “demand for offshore drone inspection expected to increase at CAGR of 13.5% in East Asia” during the 2023 – 2033 forecast period.


Europe's first fully licensed cargo drone airline

According to a report in Tech Xplore, Dronamics “became Europe's first fully licensed cargo drone airline” in 2023, and they have been “officially assigned designator codes from IATA and ICAO—the two main international aviation bodies—granting them recognition on a par with other international airlines.” With these licenses, Dronamics is looking for ways to make air freight less expensive, connect cargo to more remote areas, and bring increased efficiencies and sustainability to the cargo delivery system. Ultimately, the Bulgaria-based company aims to “democratize cargo deliveries in Europe and make affordable next-day delivery of packages a reality for even the remotest regions.”

UAVs for railway monitoring in Germany

From UAS Vision comes a story about Deutsche Bahn’s “plans to use long-distance drones to monitor its rail network in the future.” Already, the state-own group deploys uncrewed systems “to assess the condition of the tracks or to check the vegetation along the tracks”. Going forward, the company will fly new drones that “have a significantly greater range of around 150 kilometers and can also be used during ongoing rail operations.” Deutsche Bahn looks to fly 15 hybrid-powered overhead line maintenance vehicles to perform inspections, maintenance, and repairs after damage.