In August we posted Yara Birkeland, Crewless Electric Container Ship, First Voyage by Year’s End.  We noted that if all went according to plan, the ship would make its first journey between two Norwegian towns before the end of the year, with no crew onboard.  The 103 TEU all-electric container ship did recently complete a 38 nautical mile maiden voyage from the town of Horten to Oslo. Nevertheless, the plan has changed. The brief voyage took place with crew aboard. It is now expected to be two or more years before autonomous operations are likely to commence.

The ship is powered by a 7 MWh battery bank and should be capable of a top speed of 13 knots. When operational, Yara Birkeland will sail on two routes, between Herøya and Brevik (~7 nautical miles (13 km)) and between Herøya and Larvik (~30 nautical miles (56 km)).

“We are proud to be able to showcase the world’s first fully electric and self-propelled container ship,” says Svein Tore Holsether, CEO of Yara. “It will cut 1,000 tonnes of CO2 and replace 40,000 trips by diesel-powered trucks a year.”

NewAtlas.com reports that with its first voyage behind it, the Yara Birkeland will commence commercial operations in 2022, while a two-year testing period will take place alongside designed to certify it as an autonomous vehicle. Technology company Kongsberg will be responsible for integrating the sensors and other systems for autonomous navigation, with the pathway to full autonomy to also include a phase of remote operation.

Yara Birkeland’s Voyage from Horten to Oslo

Thanks to Doug Bostrom for contributing to this post.