Yara International has announced that the world’s first electric and self-propelled container ship, Yara Birkeland, has departed for its maiden voyage in the Oslo fjord.
“We are proud to be able to showcase the world’s first fully electric and self-propelled container ship. It will cut 1,000 tonnes of CO2 and replace 40,000 trips by diesel-powered trucks a year,” said Svein Tore Holsether, CEO of Yara.
Yara Birkeland has been developed in collaboration with the Kongsberg Group. The ship was built by VARD with financial support from Enova, and will be in commercial operation from 2022.
“Yara Birkeland will transport mineral fertiliser between Porsgrunn and Brevik and will contribute to significant emission cuts during transport,” note CEO of Yara, who believes that this is an “excellent example of green transition in practice” and hope this ship will be the start of a new type of emission-free container ships.
Now begins a two-year testing period of the technology that will make the ship self-propelled, and finally certified as an autonomous, all-electric container ship.
Yara Birkeland is a collaborative project between several actors, where Kongsberg is responsible for the development and delivery of all newly developed technology on the ship. The vessel will be operated from Massterlys’ monitoring and operations center in Horten. Massterly is a joint venture between Kongsberg and Wilhelmsen.
“Yara Birkeland is the result of the strong knowledge and experience we have in the Norwegian maritime cluster and industry,” commented Geir Håøy, CEO of the Kongsberg Group. “The project demonstrates how we have developed a world-leading innovation that contributes to the green transition and provides great export opportunities for Norwegian technology and industry.”
Enova, a government enterprise responsible for promotion of renewable energy, has allocated approximately US$15 million (NOK133.5 million) to build the world’s first electric and autonomous container ship.
“We need projects that can transform the market – projects that have the potential to pave the way for others and increase the pace of change in their sector. This is exactly what we believe the world’s first autonomous and all-electric container ship will do,” said Nils Kristian Nakstad, CEO of Enova.
In parallel with the construction of Yara Birkeland, Yara has initiated the development of green ammonia as an emission-free fuel for shipping, through the newly started Yara Clean Ammonia.
“Renewable energy was our starting point in 1905. Now, ammonia can bring us back to our roots. Our large shipping network and existing infrastructure means that ammonia has the potential to become the leading fuel for long-distance shipping globally,” noted Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, CEO of Yara Clean Ammonia.
As the world’s largest producer of fertilisers, Yara relies on ammonia to make fertiliser, and to help feed an ever-growing population. At the same time, current ammonia production represents 2% of the world’s fossil energy consumption, which corresponds to about 1.2% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions.
“As the world’s largest producer of ammonia, Yara has launched an offensive plan of international scale, both to remove current emissions and to establish the production of new, clean ammonia,” commented Ankarstrand.
