Watch: Say hello to world's first all-electric cargo ship. And it's autonomous

If you thought that electrification and automation of vehicles are happening only on land, think again. A Norwegian company has made what it claims to be the world's first no emission, autonomous cargo ship. Yara Birkeland, a Norwegian battery-electric container ship, has been developed by chemical company Yara International. This electric ship has been designed with an aim to reduce the emission of toxic gases and move freight away from roads.

Watch the conceptualization of Yara Birkeland here:

The company announced the making of the concept in 2017. However, it is not the first autonomous ship as an autonomous ferry was launched in 2018 in Finland. It still, however, is the first fully-electric container ship, said the makers in a media report. Electric ship Yara Birkeland will make its maiden voyage between two Norwegian towns by the end of this year. It will also have a crew to test the autonomous systems.

This ship will feature a 7 MWh battery and will have a top speed of 13 knots. The power output of the ship is being stated to be over 3 MW total that is two 900 kW and two 700 kW units. With an ability to carry 103 containers, this ship's capacity is a thousand times more than an electric car, shared Jon Sletten, plant manager for Yara's factory in Porsgrunn, Norway in the report. He was also quoted saying that the ship will be charged at the quayside before sailing and bringing it back again. “This will replace 40,000 truck journeys a year," he added in the report.