History | |
---|---|
Name | Yara Birkeland |
Namesake | |
Owner | Yara International |
Route | Herøya– Brevik, 7 NM (13 km) |
Ordered | 2017 |
Builder | Marin Teknik |
Cost | $25m |
In service | 2022 |
Identification | |
General characteristics | |
Type | Autonomous cargo ship |
Tonnage | 3,200 DWT |
Length | Over 80 metres (260 ft) |
Beam | 15 metres (49 ft) |
Draught | 5 metres (16 ft) |
Depth | 12 metres (39 ft) |
Installed power | Batteries 6.8 MWh [2] |
Propulsion | Electric motors driving 2 azimuth pods (2x 900 kW) and 2 tunnel thrusters (2x 700 kW) [2] |
Speed |
|
Capacity | 120 TEU |
Crew | manned [3] |
Notes | First autonomous commercial ship in the world. |
MV Yara Birkeland is an autonomous 120 TEU container ship [4] carrying fertilizer between ports at Herøya and Brevik in Norway. [3] The Yara Birkeland was designed to serve as a proof of concept for a fully autonomous ship capable of global travel and with multiple functions from industrial site operations to port operations.
Yara Birkeland is 80 metres (260 ft) long, with a beam of 14.8 metres (49 ft) and a depth of 12 metres (39 ft). It has a draught of 6 metres (20 ft). Electric motors driving two azimuth pods and two tunnel thrusters. Batteries rated at 6.7 MWh [5] power the electric motors, giving it an optimal speed of 6 knots (11 km/h) and a maximum speed of 10 knots (19 km/h). It has a capacity of 120 TEU. [6] Costing $25million [7] ( NOK250 million) [3] it is designed by Marin Teknikk, with navigation equipment by Kongsberg Maritime. [6] The Norwegian Government gave a grant of NOK133.6 million towards the construction of the ship, about a third of the total cost, in September 2017. [8]
Yara Birkeland is named after its owners Yara International and its founder, Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland. [9] Yara Birkeland sails between Herøya and Brevik (~7 nautical miles (13 km)) [6] carrying chemicals and fertiliser, and is intended to reduce road truck traffic by 40,000 loads per year. [5] In late November, 2021, the ship sailed to Oslo, where it was toured by the Prime Minister of Norway, Jonas Gahr Støre, on Friday, November 19, 2021. [10] [11] As of August 2021, remote operation was intended to start in late 2021, though regulatory obstacles may still remained ahead of its intended start of commercial operations in 2022. [12] [4] [11] The ship was christened on April 29, 2022 in Brevik where 500 local students and Crown Prince Haakon was attending. [13] Regulations require crew on board for two years before being considered for remote control. [3]
In 2019, the Yara Birkeland was a finalist in the annual Nor-Shipping Next Generation Ship competition. [14] [15]
In 2021 it commenced operations with a full crew on board