AUTONOMOUS FREIGHT
The world’s first all-electric crewless cargo ship
WORDS SCOTT DUTFIELD
In November 2021, the Yara Birkeland, the world’s first autonomous electric container vessel, set off on its maiden voyage in Oslofjord, Norway. The 80-metre-long ship has been created by Yara International, a Norwegian chemical company, which will use the vessel to replace lorry haulage from its Norwegian plant in Porsgrunn to a port in Brevik, around 8.7 miles away.
The Yara Birkeland was announced in 2017 and promises to cut carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions by 1,000 tonnes each year. This saving is equal to around 40,000 journeys made by diesel-powered lorries. Birkeland is an open-top container ship capable of transporting 120 shipping containers, also known as twenty-foot equivalent units or TEU -a total deadweight of 3,200 tonnes.