Fertilizer company Yara has unveiled the world’s first all-electric Birkeland container ship equipped with an autonomous steering system. The ship is set to sail along the southern coast of Norway and will be an important part of the country’s emission-reduction plans.
The 80-meter autonomous container ship will reportedly be used to transport cargo between Yara’s factory in Porsgrunn in southern Norway and the export port in Brevik, which are 14 kilometers apart. The electric container ship is expected to be commissioned early next year.
At the initial stage the vessel will be controlled by a man, and it will become fully autonomous only in two years. The container ship will be able to load and unload cargo and charge batteries without human involvement.
The ship design uses Kongsberg and Vard solutions, including sensors, as well as other hardware and software on the basis of which the autonomous control system is implemented.
Commissioning of the electric container ship will reduce carbon emissions by 1,000 tons per year. For Yara, this is a significant reduction in emissions, since the company’s plant in Porsgrunn is one of the largest sources of CO₂ emissions in Norway.
We made this technological leap to show that it is possible, and I think there are so many routes in the world where ships of this type can sail,
– said Yara director Svein Tore Holzeter.
The Yara Birkeland has made the short voyage from the commune of Horten to Oslo with people on board. The ship now awaits certification, after which commercial operations will take place.
Initially workers will load and unload the ship, but in the future they want to involve robots for such operations, including cranes and transport vehicles. At the same time the autonomous ships themselves, according to specialists, will learn to exchange information, which will make their operation safe.
