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Chemical and Environmental Solutions
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In the end of November, the ship will be handed over to Yara from the Norwegian shipyard Vard Brattvåg. Upon delivery the vessel will undergo testing for container loading and stability, before the ship will sail to a port and test area in Horten for further preparations for autonomous operation.
Yara Birkeland is an example of Yara's ambition to innovate and find climate-friendly solutions which can be commercialized. However, innovation projects come with uncertainties and challenges. In particular, the autonomous logistics on land that have proven to be a challenge for the project. The construction of the ship has been done according to plan with slight delays, including the fitting of the battery, control and navigation systems, For the autonomous logistics on land the project team continues to look for simplified solutions to this.
Yara's goal is to complete the project and bring the emission-free ship into commercial operation. Different ownership models or partnerships will be evaluated for operation and commercialization.
Status April 2020
The hull of the Yara Birkeland vessel was launched to sea in Romania in February 2020 and is expected to arrive at the Norwegian shipyard in May where she will be fitted with various control- and navigation systems and undergo testing before delivery to Yara. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the changed global outlook, Yara has decided to pause further development of the vessel and will assess next steps together with its partners.
Yara and technology company Kongsberg teamed up in 2017 with the ambition to build the world's first autonomous and zero-emission container vessel. Replacing 40,000 truck journeys a year, Yara Birkeland will reduce NOx and CO2 emissions and improve road safety in a densely populated urban area in Norway.
Main particulars
Depth 12 m
Capacity
Propulsion
Batteries
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