World’s first crewless, fully electric cargo ship to set sail

The world’s first fully autonomous and electric cargo ship will launch on its first commercial operation later this year, which if successful could transform the highly-polluting shipping industry.

The Yara Birkeland will travel between two Norwegian towns – Herøya and Brevik –without any crew onboard, carrying freight that would usually be carried by land.

The vessel will replace 40,000 lorry journeys a year, according to its operators, as well as significantly reduce NOx and CO2 emissions.