Drones help onshore and offshore energy firms drill for data

New York

WHEN Chris Blackford started pitching Sky-Futures, the drone company he had co-founded, to oil and natural gas companies, there was not much interest.

The London-based startup flies unmanned aircraft around offshore platforms, oil rigs and other sites, collecting high-resolution videos and images that can spot potential infrastructure problems and, according to Blackford, cost roughly 80 per cent less than traditional inspections.

But for many in the energy industry, the technology was still new and untested. That started to change after Talisman Energy,…