Autonomous cargo transportation will not be limited to trucks and airplanes. According to a source, Yara
Yara developed the concept back in 2017year and planned to send the ship sailing in 2020, but the COVID-19 pandemic postponed the trip. It's not the first unmanned vessel of any type to set sail (a Finnish ferry launched in 2018), but it is the first all-electric model.
This is a slow ship, top speedwhich is 13 knots thanks to two 900 kW propulsion systems (container ships usually run at speeds between 16 and 25 knots), and it's safe to say that charging the giant 7 MWh battery will take a long time. However, Yara believes the environmental benefits are worth it.
The company estimates that Yara Birkeland will replace about40,000 truck trips a year, significantly reducing CO2 and nitrous oxide emissions in a country that already relies heavily on hydropower. The ship can also ease congestion on land, not to mention keep people safe (albeit at the expense of possible job cuts).
It may be a long time beforewe will see autonomous container ships sailing to other countries. Even if distance is not an issue, the docks are – a self-propelled vessel will have more difficulty navigating busy ports such as Durban or Shanghai.
There are also legal problems.Different countries have their own maritime rules. As with self-driving cars, there is a question of responsibility. Who will be to blame if an autonomous vessel runs aground and causes an environmental disaster due to the release of chemicals into the water?
While it's easy to imagine a day when autonomous electric ships will become commonplace, that day is likely to be a long way off.
Source: cnn
Illustrations: yara
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