The ship Yara Birkeland will run the first trip between two Norwegian towns with a design of 103 containers, a speed of 13 knots.
A Norwegian company has created what it calls the world’s first self-propelled, zero-emission cargo ship. If all goes to plan, the ship will make its maiden voyage between the two Norwegian towns later this year with no crew on board. Instead, its navigation will be monitored by 33 onshore data control centers.
It’s not the world’s first self-propelled vessel – an autonomous ferry launched in Finland in 2018 – but it is the first fully electric container ship. Developed by chemical company Yara International, Yara Birkeland is designed to reduce nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide emissions.
According to the International Maritime Organization, the shipping industry currently accounts for between 2.5 and 3% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Nearly all of Norway’s electricity is generated by hydroelectricity, which has a much lower carbon footprint than burning fossil fuels, although it still produces greenhouse gases.
Conceptualized in 2017, the ship was born thanks to the cooperation of technology company Kongsberg Maritime and shipbuilder Vard. According to Jon Sletten, director of Yara’s plant in Porsgrunn, Norway, the ship is capable of carrying 103 containers at a speed of 13 knots. It uses a 7 MWh capacity battery. Using it alone along the coast of Norway, he said, could replace 40,000 truck trips a year.
Brand new market
In addition to offering a “greener” alternative to cargo ships, Sletten said having no crew means it’s more cost-effective to operate.
Initially, loading and unloading goods will require a human, but according to Sletten, all loading, unloading and mooring will later be operated by autonomous technology. This will involve the development of self-propelled cranes.
The Yara Birkeland was originally scheduled to set sail last year, but the Covid-19 pandemic and logistical challenges delayed its launch. “We overestimated its reach and launched with too much ambition,” Sletten said. After shifting the project to a more “slow” approach, Sletten hopes the ship will deliver the first containers from the town of Heroya to Brevik this year. They also need to get permission from the Norwegian maritime authority to allow a self-propelled vessel to operate on the country’s waterways for the first time.
Commercialization Challenge
Rody Negenborn, professor of marine and transport technology at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, says fully autonomous ships like the Yara Birkeland are the future of the maritime industry. However, he also asserted that there are many challenges to overcome before autonomous ships can be used for long commercial voyages at sea.
He says navigating traffic in major ports, unlike the relatively quiet inland port to which Yara Birkeland will travel, can be a major obstacle.
“At some point, these ships will have to start interacting with each other to be able to exchange information and not conflict on the route,” he said.
Without a crew to carry out maintenance checks, Negeborn adds, autonomous ships will need self-diagnostic systems, built-in ability to detect and fix problems, or call for human help. people.
Besides the technical issues, he said there are also legal implications when considering travel between countries.
“Yara Birkeland operates along the Norwegian coast but if it goes further it may encounter other territories with other rules and regulations that need to be met. Who is responsible if something goes wrong? ”
Reference: CNN
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