Shipping giant A.P. Moller–Maersk Group is betting on the idea of using drones to resupply its vessels as they sail the seven seas. The conglomerate made headlines earlier this year when it used a drone to fly a bucket of cookies out to one of its tankers at sea, but that effort was just the beginning.

Maersk supply chain manager Markus Kuhn revealed at the Drones Data X conference in San Francisco last week that the shipping firm now looking at ways to expand its use of drones, and will be carrying out a much bigger test later this year. The previous test, which happened in January of this year, saw a drone fly a rather modest 250 meters out to sea to drop off a batch of cookies to the hungry sailors on one of its tankers. Now, Maersk wants to partner with a drone manufacturing firm for a second test that would see a 10 kilogram package hauled 10 kilometers out to sea.

The test will be a kind of proof-of-concept for Maersk, which is believes drones are the ideal medium for resupplying its fleet of tankers, container ships, oil rigs and other craft. If and when the second test takes place, it will (if successful) demonstrate the feasibility of flying all manner of important equipment to remote ships by drone.

Looking beyond that, Kuhn said Maersk believes that drones could help to cut operating costs in a wide swathe of its businesses, which as well as shipping, includes port logistics and oil platform operations. Maersk’s interest in drones is also a massive vote of confidence for the industry in general. That’s important, because drone makers will need the support of big businesses if they’re to develop the more capable and versatile aircraft needed to perform the wide array of tasks envisioned for them in various industries.

The benefits of using drones to resupply ships are obvious enough. If it works, Maersk will be able to save massively on the costs of sending out an entire resupply ship to carry equipment to a tanker that’s far out to sea. This happens more than one might think, because each country has its own regulations about protecting volatile cargoes.

But Kuhn said Maersk has bigger ideas for drones beyond just resupply missions. The company also wants to use drones to inspect equipment, because they’re easily able to fly to places that are difficult for humans to reach. However, Kuhn said that Maersk will only press ahead with its plans if it can establish that drones are cheaper than the methods it currently uses.

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