History
NameYara Birkeland
Namesake
OwnerYara International
RouteHerøya–Brevik, 7 NM (13 km)
Ordered2017
BuilderMarin Teknik
Cost$25m
In service2022
Identification
General characteristics
TypeAutonomous cargo ship
Tonnage3,200 DWT
LengthOver 80 metres (260 ft)
Beam15 metres (49 ft)
Draught5 metres (16 ft)
Depth12 metres (39 ft)
Installed powerBatteries 6.8MWh[2]
PropulsionElectric motors driving 2 azimuth pods (2x 900 kW) and 2 tunnel thrusters (2x 700 kW)[2]
Speed
  • 6 knots (11 km/h) service
  • 12 knots (22 km/h) maximum
Capacity120 TEU
Crewmanned[3]
NotesFirst autonomous commercial ship in the world.

MV Yara Birkeland is an autonomous 120 TEU container ship[4] carrying fertilizer between ports at Herøya and Brevik in Norway.[3] The Yara Birkeland was designed to serve as a proof of concept for a fully autonomous ship capable of global travel and with multiple functions from industrial site operations to port operations.

Construction

Yara Birkeland is 80 metres (260 ft) long, with a beam of 14.8 metres (49 ft) and a depth of 12 metres (39 ft). It has a draught of 6 metres (20 ft). Electric motors driving two azimuth pods and two tunnel thrusters. Batteries rated at 6.7 MWh[5] power the electric motors, giving it an optimal speed of 6 knots (11 km/h) and a maximum speed of 10 knots (19 km/h). It has a capacity of 120 TEU.[6] Costing $25million[7] (NOK250 million)[3] it is designed by Marin Teknikk, with navigation equipment by Kongsberg Maritime.[6] The Norwegian Government gave a grant of NOK133.6 million towards the construction of the ship, about a third of the total cost, in September 2017.[8]

Operation

Yara Birkeland is named after its owners Yara International and its founder, Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland.[9] Yara Birkeland sails between Herøya and Brevik (~7 nautical miles (13 km))[6] carrying chemicals and fertiliser, and is intended to reduce road truck traffic by 40,000 loads per year.[5] In late November, 2021, the ship sailed to Oslo, where it was toured by the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, on Friday, November 19, 2021.[10][11] As of August 2021, remote operation was intended to start in late 2021, though regulatory obstacles may still remained ahead of its intended start of commercial operations in 2022.[12][4][11] The ship was christened on April 29, 2022 in Brevik where 500 local students and Crown Prince Haakon was attending.[13] Regulations require crew on board for two years before being considered for remote control.[3]

Legacy

In 2019, the Yara Birkeland was a finalist in the annual Nor-Shipping Next Generation Ship competition.[14][15]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "YARA BIRKELAND (Container Ship)". MarineTraffic. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Yara Birkeland | Yara International". 12 November 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Bosch, Hieronymus (29 August 2022). "COLUMN | Semi-autonomous navigation: Yara Birkeland, Suzaku, Njord Forseti and Orca AI [Offshore Accounts]". Baird Maritime. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. In 2021 it commenced operations with a full crew on board
  4. 1 2 Deshays, Pierre-Henry (19 November 2021). "First electric autonomous cargo ship launched in Norway". AFP. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  5. 1 2 "Yara Birkeland electric container ship starts commercial operations". New Power Progress. 9 December 2021.
  6. 1 2 3 "Autonomous ship project, key facts about YARA Birkeland". Kongsberg Maritime. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  7. ↑ Morris, David Z. (22 July 2017). "World's First Autonomous Ship to Launch in 2018". Fortune. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  8. ↑ "Norway Provides Grant for Construction of Yara Birkeland". World Maritime News. 29 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  9. ↑ "The first ever zero emission, autonomous ship". Yara International. 9 May 2017. Retrieved 25 July 2017.
  10. ↑ "Yara Birkeland straks klar til drift". mtlogistikk.no. 20 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  11. 1 2 "Yara to start operating the world's first fully emission-free container ship". kongsberg.com. 19 November 2021. Retrieved 23 November 2021.
  12. ↑ Lorenz, Jonna (25 August 2021). "Zero-emission, crewless cargo ship to launch by year-end". UPI. Retrieved 25 August 2021.
  13. ↑ "Crown Prince and youths christen world's first emission-free container ship | Yara International". 29 April 2022.
  14. ↑ "Yara Birkeland fights it out with innovative tankers for Nor-Shipping's Next Generation Ship Award". Hellenic Shipping News. Hellenic Shipping News Worldwide. 30 Apr 2019. Retrieved 29 Sep 2019.
  15. ↑ "Gagarin Prospect Wins Nor-Shipping 2019 Next Generation Award". maritime-executive.com. The Maritime Executive, LLC. 4 Jun 2019. Retrieved 29 Sep 2019.
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