A Norwegian company called Yara International claims to have created the world's first zero-emission, autonomous, electric cargo ship. The concept for the Yara Birkeland was first conceived in 2017. Four years later, the ship is almost ready to make its maiden voyage without a crew.
The Norwegian company Yara International was founded in 1905. The company focuses, among other things, on reducing emissions and sustainable agricultural practices.
See also: The Ocean Cleanup: New Interceptors remove plastics before they reach the ocean
To combat toxic sulfur oxides (SOx) and nitrogen oxides (NOx) from diesel engines on ships, the Norwegian company created Yara Marine Technologies. In 2017, the company began envisioning and designing an autonomous, fully electric ship to completely eliminate toxic emissions.
Today, the Yara Birkeland is at sea in Norway and will soon make its first unmanned voyage.
See also: Nissan LEAF: 2022 electric model will be under $20K
Yara's autonomous electric cargo ship will make its maiden voyage this year
According to a CNN report, the electric autonomous cargo ship Yara Birkeland will make its first voyage between two Norwegian cities (Herøya to Brevik) later this year. As mentioned above, the ship will travel without a crew, however, it will be constantly monitored by three control centers on land.
Initially, loading and unloading will require human presence. However, a company executive said that later these activities will also be done autonomously, using special technology. This technology will include autonomous cranes and conveyors that will help move boxes on and off the ship.
See also: Gocycle G4i: A beautiful and well-made electric bike
The focus on autonomy reduces operating costs, while electric mobility combats carbon emissions.
The electric cargo ship has a 7 MWh battery, powering two 900 kW Azipull pods, as well as two 700 kW tunnel thrusters.
The zero-emissions autonomous electric cargo ship was originally scheduled to begin its voyages last year, but plans were halted due to the COVID-19.
Source: Electrek
