THE world’s first electric and self-propelled container ship, Yara Birkeland, has made its maiden voyage in the Oslo fjord in Norway.

Svein Tore Holsether, CEO of Yara said, “We are proud to be able to showcase the world’s first fully electric and self-propelled container ship. It will cut 1000 tonnes of CO2 and replace 40,000 trips by diesel-powered trucks a year”.

After the ship had completed its maiden voyage to Oslo, Norway, Mr Holsether welcomed aboard Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and Minister for ocean policy Bjørnar Skjæran.

Yara Birkeland, which has already received wide coverage in Norwegian and international media, has been developed in collaboration with the Kongsberg Group. The ship was built by VARD with financial support from Enova, and will be in commercial operation from 2022.

“We have been looking forward to this day for a long time. Yara Birkeland will transport mineral fertiliser between Porsgrunn and Brevik and will contribute to significant emission cuts during transport,” Mr Holsether said.

“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,” he said.

The ship will be operated from Massterlys’ monitoring and operations center in Horten. Massterly is a joint venture between KONGSBERG and Wilhelmsen.

Geir Håøy, CEO of the Kongsberg Group said, “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.”

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.

As the world’s largest producer of fertilisers, Yara relies on ammonia to make fertiliser, and to help feed an ever-growing population.

Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, CEO of Yara Clean Ammonia said, “As the world’s largest producer of ammonia, Yara has launched an offensive plan of international scale, both to remove current emissions and to establish the production of new, clean ammonia”.