MV ''Yara Birkeland'' is an
autonomous
In developmental psychology and moral, political, and bioethical philosophy, autonomy, from , ''autonomos'', from αὐτο- ''auto-'' "self" and νόμος ''nomos'', "law", hence when combined understood to mean "one who gives oneself one's ow ...
120
TEU container ship
A container ship (also called boxship or spelled containership) is a cargo ship that carries all of its load in truck-size intermodal containers, in a technique called containerization. Container ships are a common means of commercial intermodal ...
sailing fertilizer between ports at Herøya and Brevik.
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, port operations and vessel operations).
Construction
''Yara Birkeland'' is long, with a beam of and a depth of . It has a draught of . It is be propelled by electric motors driving two
azimuth pods and two
tunnel thrusters.
Batteries
Battery most often refers to:
* Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power
* Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact
Battery may also refer to:
Energy source
*Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...
rated at 6.7
MWh
A kilowatt-hour (unit symbol: kW⋅h or kW h; commonly written as kWh) is a unit of energy: one kilowatt of power for one hour. In terms of SI derived units with special names, it equals 3.6 megajoules (MJ). Kilowatt-hours are a common bil ...
[ powers the electric motors, giving it an energy optimal speed of and a maximum speed of . It has a capacity of 120 TEU.]NOK
Nok is a village in Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The village is an archeological site.
Archaeology
The discovery of terracotta figurines at this location caused its name to be used for the Nok culture, of which these ...
250 million)[ it is designed by Marin Teknikk, with navigation equipment by ]Kongsberg Maritime
Kongsberg Maritime (KM) is a Norwegian technology enterprise within the Kongsberg Gruppen (KOG). Kongsberg Maritime deliver systems for positioning, surveying, navigation, and automation to merchant vessels and offshore installations. Their most ...
.[ The Norwegian Government gave a grant of ]NOK
Nok is a village in Jaba Local Government Area of Kaduna State, Nigeria. The village is an archeological site.
Archaeology
The discovery of terracotta figurines at this location caused its name to be used for the Nok culture, of which these ...
133.6 million towards the construction of the ship, about a third of the total cost, in September 2017.
Operation
''Yara Birkeland'' is named after its owners Yara International
Yara International ASA is a Norwegian chemical company. It produces, distributes, and sells nitrogen-based mineral fertilizers and related industrial products. Its product line also includes phosphate and potash-based mineral fertilizers, as well ...
and its founder, Norwegian scientist Kristian Birkeland
Kristian Olaf Bernhard Birkeland (13 December 1867 – 15 June 1917) was a Norwegian scientist. He is best remembered for his theories of atmospheric electric currents that elucidated the nature of the aurora borealis. In order to fund his resea ...
.Herøya
Herøya is a peninsula in the municipality of Porsgrunn, Norway. It is located between the fjords of Frierfjord to the west and Gunneklevfjord to the east, at the River mouth, mouth of Telemarksvassdraget. The name stems from the Old Norse word "h ...
and Brevik (~)[ carrying chemicals and fertiliser, and is intended to reduce road truck traffic by 40,000 loads per year.]Prime Minister of Norway
The prime minister of Norway ( no, statsminister, which directly translates to "minister of state") is the head of government and chief executive of Norway. The prime minister and Cabinet (consisting of all the most senior government department ...
, Jonas Gahr Støre
Jonas Gahr Støre (; born 25 August 1960) is a Norwegian politician who has served as the prime minister of Norway since 2021 and has been Leader of the Labour Party since 2014. He served under Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg as Minister of For ...
, on Friday, November 19, 2021.[
]
Legacy
In 2019, the Yara Birkeland was a finalist in the competition for the annual Nor-Shipping
Nor-Shipping is a maritime trade fair that has been held in Norway biennially since 1965. It is one of the leading international shipping events and an important meeting place and forum for the shipping industry.‘‘Maritime Reporter & Engineeri ...
'' Next Generation Ship award.
See also
*Unmanned surface vehicle
Unmanned surface vehicles (USVs), also known as unmanned surface vessels, autonomous surface vehicles (ASVs) in some cases, uncrewed surface vessels (USVs), or colloquially drone ships, or robot boats, are boats or ships that operate on the ...
References
External links
Kongsberg video about ''Yara Birkeland''BBC video
August 2022
{{DEFAULTSORT:Yara Birkeland
Merchant ships of Norway
Ships built in Norway
Autonomous ships
Electric ships
Trondheimsfjord