The first autonomous ship in the world Yara Birkeland of Norway companyYara will launch in 2018, and is expected to be fully autonomous in 2020.
According to Wall Street Journal, the Norwegian construction Yara Birkeland will use GPS, radar, cameras and sensors to move between other boats in busy harbors and reach the quays on its own. It is expected to cost about $ 25 million dollars, which is about three times more money than a typical container ship of the same size. But investors say that, without the need for fuel or crew, the annual operating cost should be reduced to as much as 90 per cent. The ship will become autonomous in stages, Yara said.
"The Yara Birkeland will initially operate as a manned vessel, moving with remote control το 2019 και αναμένεται να είναι σε θέση να εκτελεί πλήρως αυτόνομα ταξίδια από το 2020,» ανάφερε η εταιρεία σε μια post on the website her since May.
Το πλοίο Birkeland χωρητικότητας 100 containers έχει αναπτυχθεί από τη γεωργική εταιρεία Yara International και την technology εταιρεία Kongsberg Gruppen από κοινού. Έχει προγραμματιστεί στα τέλη του 2018 να ξεκινήσει την μεταφορά λιπασμάτων από μια μονάδα παραγωγής στο λιμάνι της Λάρβικ, περίπου 37 μίλια μακριά.
Head of Yara Petter Ostbo, told The Wall Street Journal, that the company will look to invest in larger ships, capable of longer journeys, as soon as international regulations for autonomous ships are set. "Maybe even to transport our fertilizer from the Netherlands all the way to Brazil."
