First ever drone challenge coincides with Shell Card re-launch
More than 70 people gathered at the Tony Rust racetrack to witness Namibia’s first ever Shell Card Drone Challenge, late last month, which coincided with the re-launch of the Shell Card.
The Card is a cashless payment option for Shell customers for its petroleum products and purchases from Shell Convenience Shops introduced in 2018.
Vivo Energy Namibia, organisers of the event said much like the iconic drones, the Shell Card is another innovation by Shell aptly depicting the efficiency presented by the Fourth Industrial Revolution.
“We allowed stakeholders to watch from close quarters how a drone operates whilst demonstrating its man capabilities,” they added.
They highlighted that the event brought together drone pilots, Namibia Civil Aviation Authority and the public, which had a total of eight drone operators entered into the Challenge, comprised of an obstacle course that they had to complete in the fastest possible time.
Edward Walugembe, Managing Director of Vivo Energy Namibia said they emphasise on innovation, efficiency and overall client focus before launching the challenge. “The Shell Card represents the ease with which we want our customers to access our products and services, plus, the security features on the card are meant to provide peace of mind to our clients while transacting at any of our more that 60 Shell Service stations across the country,” he added.
The winner of challenge, Yochanaan Coetzee from Namibia Media Holdings said hewas happy with the win and that this type of challenges are what the future is really all about and he hopes to see and participate in more of these types of activities.
The inaugural event was put together in collaboration with the Namibia Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), who facilitated the risk assessment, issued Remote Piloted Aircraft licenses and cleared the airspace for the event.
