World’s First Fully Electric Autonomous Container Vessel, Yara Birkeland, Celebrates 3 Years of Service
Photo - Leclanche Website
YVERDON-LES-BAINS, Switzerland, 7th May, 2025 – Leclanché SA, one of the world’s leading energy storage companies, proudly marks the third anniversary of the Yara Birkeland, the world’s first fully electric and autonomous container vessel. Operated by Yara International, a global leader in agricultural products including fertilisers that enhance crop yields sustainability, and powered by Leclanché’s advanced lithium-ion battery technology, the vessel has played a key role in revolutionising maritime transport and setting new industry standards for sustainability and efficiency.
Since its launch in 2021, the Yara Birkeland has demonstrated the potential of zero-emission shipping. The vessel is equipped with Leclanché’s MRS-2 marine rack system, designed to provide safe, reliable, and high-performance energy storage. The 6.8 MWh battery system enables the vessel to operate entirely without fossil fuels, drastically reducing greenhouse gas emissions and cutting operational costs.
Over the past three years, the 80m long Yara Birkeland has completed more than 250 voyages, transporting over 35,000 containers between Yara’s production facility in Porsgrunn and the port of Brevik. The capacity of ship is of 120 Twenty-foot containers. The vessel has also replaced approximately 35,000 diesel-powered truck journeys so far, reducing CO₂ emissions by 1,000 tonnes per year and reducing noise and dust in populated areas thanks to reduced truck traffic. Recently, it has advanced its autonomous operations, successfully executing supervised Auto-Docking and Auto-Crossing functionalities, paving the way for fully autonomous voyages.
