Autonomous Ships: MacGregor Mooring for Yara Birkeland

MacGregor, part of Cargotec, and Kongsberg Maritime have entered into an agreement where MacGregor will deliver an automated mooring system for the world's first autonomous container ship, Yara Birkeland.

This will enable mooring operations to be undertaken without human intervention and supports effective operation of the fully electric, zero emission vessel.

The order was booked in Cargotec's 2018 fourth quarter order intake, with the automated mooring system scheduled to be delivered during the second half of 2019.

Yara Birkeland is designed 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 fertilizer from Yara's Porsgrunn plant via inland waterways to the deep-sea ports of Larvik and Brevik, a journey of 31 nautical miles.