The Norwegian autonomous electric cargo ship "Yara Birkelan" made its first voyage - from the municipality of Horten to Oslo. As reported by New Atlas, while the crew was on board. For the next two years, the vessel is waiting for tests, the final of which should be certification as an autonomous electric container ship.
In 2017, Norwegian companies Yara International and Kongsberg Maritime agreed to develop and build an autonomous electric cargo vessel Yara Birkelan. With his help, Yara International, which is engaged in the production and supply of fertilizers, wants to speed up their transportation and abandon about 40 thousand truck trips per year.
The length of the "Yara Birkelan" is 80 meters, and the width is 15 meters. The vessel is powered by batteries with a capacity of 6.8 megawatts. It can carry 120 twenty-foot containers with a maximum speed of 15 knots.
The Norwegian container ship was to become the first autonomous cargo ship in the world. But in 2019, he was overtaken by the Chinese "Jindouyun 0 Hao" . It left the port on Dong Ao Island in Zhuhai and arrived at Pier No. 1 of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge.
Yara Birkelan performed its first flight on November 18. It passed about 70 kilometers from the municipality of Horten to Oslo, where the vessel was presented to partners and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Garu Stere. The container ship will start commercial operations in 2022. At the same time, it will continue to undergo tests for the next two years to become a certified electric autonomous vessel.
Earlier we wrote that Yara Birkelan will embark on its first autonomous flight before the end of this year. There will be three ground-based data control centers for the vessel's movements
Vasilisa Chernyavtseva
