The Yara Birkeland is a ground-breaking vessel that, as well as being electrically powered via a 7mW battery, will eventually operate autonomously. Last year Yara placed the Birkeland project on hold, but it has now been restarted. 

“We have been looking forward to this day for a long time,” said says Svein Tore Holsether, CEO of Yara. “Yara Birkeland will transport mineral fertilizer between Porsgrunn and Brevik and will contribute to significant emission cuts during transport. This is an excellent example of green transition in practice, and we hope this ship will be the start of a new type of emission-free container ships. There are a lot of places in the world with congested roads that will benefit from a high-tech solution like this.”

The Yara Birkeland did not carry any cargo on this voyage, and will not do for some time yet. The vessel will now enter a two-year testing period that will culminate in its certification as an “autonomous, all-electric container ship”. An automated container handling system for Porsgrunn including an ARMG with a 16m cantilever for handling the vessel is now scheduled to be delivered by Kalmar in 2022.

Norway’s KONGSBERG is responsible for developing the autonomous vessel systems. The ship will be operated from Massterlys’ monitoring and operations center in Horten. Massterly is a joint venture between KONGSBERG and Wilhelmsen.

“Norway is a big ocean and maritime nation, and other nations look to Norway for green solutions at sea. Yara Birkeland is the result of the strong knowledge and experience we have in the Norwegian maritime cluster and industry. 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, said Geir Håøy, CEO of the Kongsberg Group.

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,” says Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, CEO of Yara Clean Ammonia.