MacGregor and Kongsberg Maritime have entered into an agreement whereby MacGregor will deliver an automated mooring system for the world’s first autonomous container ship, Yara Birkeland.
The system, scheduled to be delivered during the second half of 2019, will enable mooring operations to be undertaken without human intervention to support the autonomous operations of the fully electric, zero emission vessel.
“It is critical for Kongsberg to work with world-class partners and we are therefore very pleased to specify the MacGregor automated mooring solution for the Yara Birkeland container ship,” said Bård Bjørløw, EVP Global Sales and Marketing, Kongsberg Maritime.
Yara Birkeland is being developed to reduce emissions and improve road safety by removing up to 40,000 truck journeys annually in a densely populated area of Norway.
The container ship will transport fertiliser from Yara’s Porsgrunn plant via inland waterways to the deep-sea ports of Larvik and Brevik, a journey of 31 nautical miles.
“We worked very closely with Kongsberg to identify the most suitable mooring solution and are proud to have developed an innovative, fully electrical system which increases safety and eco-efficiency compared with conventional mooring operations,” said Høye Høyesen, Vice President, Advanced Offshore Solutions, MacGregor.
Kalmar, a fellow Cargotec subsidiary alongside MacGregor, had previously announced that it will provide the autonomous loading and unloading system for Yara Birkeland, as well as transportation between the fertiliser production facilities and the quay.
