You have heard of driverless cars and semi truck's coming in the near future, but what about crewless ships? It seems a bit frightening to think of a ship silently navigating the seas with no crew on board, but there could be one as early as 2020 and it will also have zero emissions. 

Kongsberg, an international tech firm and Yara, a global fertilizer and environmental protection agency, have partnered to create the vessel, named Yara Birkeland, to be the world's first autonomous, all-electric, zero-emissions feeder ship. Yara Birkeland will begin operation in the latter half of 2018 in Norway.

Autonomous Shipping and Global Trade 

Yara Birkeland is the beginning of a revolution that could transform the shipping industry making global shipping safer, faster, and cleaner than it's ever been. With a rapidly growing world population, limited resources mean farmers need to maximize their land and resources, and societies must work together to create ways to reduce hunger. These important goals are a part of Yara's vision and they are paving the way to a world without hunger through collaborative societies.

President and CEO of Yara, Svien Tore Holsether says, "As a leading global fertilizer company with a mission to feed the world and protect the planet, investing in this zero emission vessel to transport our crop nutrition solutions fits our strategy well. We are proud to work with KONGSBERG to realize the world's first autonomous, all-electric vessel to enter commercial operation."

The growing world population demands international shipping. Shipping goods and resources between countries is the surest way of meeting the growing needs of feeding more people, creating choice, and boosting economies. Cargo shipping can truly claim to be the world's first and oldest global industry, paving the way for a thriving global economy. It connects countries, markets, businesses, and people. This allows them to buy and sell on a scale not previously possible. 

There are multiple reasons of autonomous shipping: human error accounts for an incredible percentage of marine casualties (almost 96%), there has been a surge in piracy in the last few years, and the industry is facing a shortage of skilled workers. Yara Birkeland will be equipped with technology from Kongsberg that will allow remote and unmanned operations. Having no crew on board will revolutionize everything about cargo ships. With no crew, and therefore, no crew quarters or accommodations, cost, weight, and space will be saved and the ship will be able to carry exponentially more cargo.

To boot, Yara Birkeland will be ballast free. To stay stable and keep the rudders and propellor submerged, cargo ships fill tanks under the hull with sea water. Serious problems can arise when ballast water is discharged and water-borne organisms are deposited in a new environment.

Autonomous Shipping and The Environment 

The current plan, once Yara Birkeland is in business, will be transporting fertilizer from Yara's factory to ports about 16 miles away, thereby replacing an astonishing 40,000 shipments a year that had once been carried by diesel trucks. It starts with shipping fertilizer, then other companies will start to compete and begin shipping other essential goods internationally. When costs for the consumer are cut down and efficiencies are improved, this, in turn, minimizes the impact on the environment. 

"By moving container transport from land to sea, YARA Birkeland is the start of a major contribution to fulfilling national and international environmental impact goals. The new concept is also a giant step forward towards increased seaborne transportation in general," says Geir Håøy, President and CEO of KONGSBERG.

The future is here and the implications of the latest technologies in the shipping industry are exciting at the least and will radically revolutionize the world as we know it. In case you missed our blog about driverless semi-truck's, check it out here and subscribe to our newsletter to have all the latest transportation industry news delivered straight to your inbox.