It will be fully self-driving after two years of testing.
Major fertilizer supplier Yara has unveiled the Yara Birkeland vessel, preliminary information about which emerged in late August. The vessel is the world's first self-guided, all-electric container ship. The vessel is currently preparing for its maiden voyage along the southern coast of Norway. The 80-meter-long container ship will reduce carbon emissions by 1,000 tons per year.
After a two-year test the ship will be fully self-propelled. The ship will be able to move, charge batteries, load and unload cargo without human intervention. A complex of sensors will allow detecting and recognizing various objects on water and the data coming from them will enable the computer to decide how to avoid collisions. It is expected that the system will work better than a manual one, as it does not have the human factor, which is the cause of many accidents nowadays.