Yara Birkeland Is An All-Electric, Fully-Autonomous Cargo Vessel

RIDES

yara-birkeland-1

Slowly but surely, we’re moving to a world where vehicles will operate autonomously, eliminating the need for manual interference whether on the road, in the seas, or high above the skies. In the meantime, we’ll have to make do with incremental moves towards that future. One of the latest to make the foray is the Yara Birkeland, an all-electric cargo vessel that’s being targeted for fully-autonomous sailing.

Like many present-day efforts, the project is a small-scale implementation that will see the feeder ship regularly travel a single route, delivering fertilizers from Yara’s facility in Porsgrunn, Norway to the ports in Brevik and Larvik, where they are then shipped to the company’s worldwide customers. The fact that it will regularly ply a single route means it will be easier to predict potential issues that an autonomous ship might encounter, giving the project a better chance of succeeding compared to much more complicated journeys.

yara-birkeland-2

The Yara Birkeland can accommodate 100 shipping containers per trip, which it can transport at a speed of 12 to 15 knots. The onboard battery can hold enough charge to provide a range of 65 nautical miles, which is plenty enough for the relatively short journey it needs to take from the production facility to the international docks. While designed for autonomous operation, the ship will be manned during its first few trips at the end of 2018. After a period, they will shift to remote operation before finally leaving the ship to ply the open seas on its own. The group intends for autonomous operation to commence by 2020.

In autonomous mode, the ship will rely on an array of navigation sensors to help follow the pre-programmed delivery route. Since unexpected things can happen, the ship is capable of changing routes on its own, such as when it detects a potential collision course with another ship or when it recognizes obstacles along the path. In such cases, it will modify the delivery route just enough to steer clear of the detected hazard before returning to the original route. All the autonomous navigation and remote operation technology, by the way, will be supplied by Kongsberg Maritime, a technology company that specializes in supplying equipment to merchant vessels and offshore oilfields.

yara-birkeland-3

If implemented, the Yara Birkeland will replace the company’s current cargo transport system, which uses a fleet of trucks to ferry the fertilizers from the plant to the country’s international docks. Doing so will eliminate around 100 diesel truck journeys per day, which will be fully in-line with Norway’s vigilant environmental efforts (they’ve been a world leader in the adoption of electric cars), as it significantly reduces the amount of greenhouse emissions while still managing to transport the cargo.

According to the company, the simple switch from cargo trucks to the feeder ship is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by 678 tons, all while helping reduce traffic and noise along Norwegian roads. The ship will also be charged exclusively through hydroelectric plants within the area, making it quite a shining example to sustainability.

Learn more about the Yara Birkeland from the link below.

Check It Out

Related Posts

6 Responses

  1. Automation is going to take more jobs than ever before. It is not necessarily a bad thing, but we will have to look at things such as an alternative minimum income that is paid out to each individual.

    I like that the self-driving semi trucks are eventually going to make the roads much safer. I don’t know how many accidents are caused by cargo ships each year, but automated cargo ships should, at least in theory, provide for safer waterways. This will save the shipping companies a lot of money each year. Investing in self-driving cargo ships will initially be expensive, but the costs will easily get recouped.

  2. Regardless of your views on automated transportation, the fact that the Yara Birkeland has zero emissions is cause for celebration. If all ships in the World were zero emissions the earth would be much better off.

    I can understand some emissions from shipping companies that provide vital products to us, but the worst emissions offenders in the ocean and the recreational cruise lines.

    They burn through a lot of fuel and emit a lot of waste, simply so people can sit around on their butt for a week being pampered. There are so much better eco-friendly travel options than a huge cruise ship.

    1. The RMS Queen Mary 2 has a zero-discharge policy. Cunard has been working especially hard at reducing environmental impact, but it still occurs. I enjoy cruising, but I feel a little guilty because I know it is not good for the environment.

      Other dangers of cruise lines include nasty stuff such as Norovirus outbreaks. It also seems like there has been an increase in the number of murders on cruise ships lately. It might just be that a murder occurring on a cruise ship will naturally tend to get more media coverage.

      1. Isn’t one of the Queen Mary’s sunk off the coast somewhere in Europe? You feel bad cruising, but not driving, or taking public transportation? What about all the other thousands of ways we emit dangerous, harmful chemicals into the environment via emissions of other vehicles or industrial equipment, farming equipment, mass air-transportation, etc.? I think of all things, cruising or vacationing would be the least of my concerns when traveling and protecting the environment, just my ‘two cents.’ I haven’t caught wind of any incidents involving murder on a cruise-ship lately, so I’ll have to look into that – now I’m curious. I did notice the Yara Birkeland is advertised as being “zero emission,” which is pretty incredible assuming its true of course. What exactly is it that’s stopping the world, or at least the United States from switching all vehicles and ultimately air-craft to hybrid, or electric power-train and operations? Is it the big oil companies, government, or what?

  3. How well can automated cargo ships deal with the weather? If a huge storm is coming does the automated self-driving cargo ship need to be manually rerouted or can the ship reroute its self?

    1. I bet the Automated Shipboard Weather Observation System that is used by the Navy and many other shipping companies will be utilized. The Automated Shipboard Weather Observation System will keep in constant contact with the computers controlling the ship and it will instantly make calculations and adjustments as needed based on the weather, other ship traffic, as well as ensuring that it remains within the area it is supposed to. I am sure eventually it will be automatic with no need of keeping an eye on it, but for now, there will be a shore-based operator to keep an eye on the automated ships to ensure they stay on a proper course.

Comments are closed.