Kalmar, part of Cargotec, and Yara have entered into an agreement in which Kalmar will deliver fully autonomous equipment, software and services for a unique, fully digitalized container handling solution at Yara’s Porsgrunn facility in Norway. This means that all the necessary operations related to the world's first autonomous and electric container vessel Yara Birkeland (earlier post) will be conducted in a fully autonomous and cost efficient manner, with zero emissions.

The order was booked in Cargotec’s 2018 second quarter order intake and delivery is scheduled to be completed during the second quarter of 2020.

With this agreement, Yara Birkeland is not just the world’s first electric and autonomous container vessel; it is the world’s first fully digitalized and electric supply chain, with all operations, including loading, unloading and sailing conducted in a fully autonomous manner with zero emissions. Kalmar has the proven equipment and software, and the know-how to integrate their solutions into our supply chain.

—Tove Andersen, EVP Production, Yara

Yara, a world leading mineral fertilizer company, last year announced a partnership with technology company Kongsberg to build the world’s first fully autonomous, battery-operated container vessel.

Yara Birkeland will reduce emissions and improve road safety by removing up to 40,000 truck journeys annually in a densely populated area of Norway. The vessel 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.

Kalmar will provide the autonomous loading and unloading solution for Yara Birkeland, as well as transportation between the fertilizer production facilities and the quay. The Kalmar solution consists of one Kalmar Automated Rail Mounted Gantry Crane (AutoRMG); three Kalmar FastCharge AutoStrads; a FastCharge charging station; and related automation and safety systems. The solution will be implemented in phases, with the level of automation gradually increased over time. The end result will be a fully autonomous, mixed-traffic and zero-emission solution in an industrial environment.

Kalmar will also support Yara’s operations with a full-scale service contract. The Kalmar Care contract includes full maintenance with parts for Kalmar FastCharge AutoStrads including an availability agreement as well as preventive maintenance for the Kalmar AutoRMG crane. Furthermore, Kalmar personnel will provide operational, automation and software support for the whole solution.