A Norwegian nitrogen fertiliser
company, Yara International,
will have the world’s first
commercially operated, fully
electric and autonomous
container ship set sail in 2018.
Named Yara Birkeland after
Yara’s founder, the scientist and
innovator Kristian Birkeland,
the vessel boasts zero emissions
output and is part of a plan to
convert much of the company’s
current use of the road
transport mode to seafreight.
Said Svein Tore Holsether,
president and CEO: “Every
day more than 100 diesel
truck journeys are needed to
transport products from our
Porsgrunn plant to ports in
Brevik and Larvik where we
ship products to customers
around the world.
“With this new autonomous,
battery-driven container
vessel we will move transport
from road to sea, annually
removing up to 40 000 truck
journeys in populated urban
areas, and thereby reducing
noise and dust emissions,
improving the safety of local
roads, and reducing NOx
and CO2 emissions.”
The Yara Birkeland will
initially operate as a manned
vessel, moving to remote
operation in 2019, but is
expected to be capable of
performing fully autonomous
operations from 2020.
An artist's impression of the Yara Birkeland which will set
sail next year.
