Elleda Wilson: In One Ear: A first
Dec. 16—The world's first zero-emission, no-crew all-electric container ship, Yara Birkeland, completed her maiden voyage from Horten to Oslo, Norway, via fjord, in mid-November, MarineLog.com reports.
Upon her arrival, she was greeted by Prime Minister Jonas Støre and several other notables, including Svein Holsether, CEO of Yara International, the fertilizer company that owns the 120 TEU (20-foot equivalent) vessel, which is pictured, courtesy of Yara.
The Birkeland will not be ocean-going. Instead, she will be used to transport mineral fertilizer between the Norwegian cities of Porsgrunn and Brevik, around 8 miles. Using this ship will replace 40,000 trips by diesel trucks per year, which is expected to eliminate about 1,100 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.
Yara Birkeland now starts a two-year testing period. If all goes as expected, she'll be officially certified as an autonomous, all-electric container ship. Which is good for the environment, indeed; but a not-so-great harbinger for future mariners.
