Zero-emission, zero-crew box ship to have PG Flow Solution pumps

zero-emission, zero crew containership

Vard has selected liquid handling and pump specialist PG Flow Solutions to supply the engine room pump system for the world’s first autonomous and electric container vessel, Yara Birkeland.

As we reported earlier (see story) Vard’s Brevik, Norway, shipyard has been selected to build the zero-emission, zero crew vessel, using a hull built at Vard’s Braila, Romania, yard,

The ship is being built for Norwegian fertilizer giant Yara and will operate iin a cargo transit between Yara’s plant in Porsgrunn to ports in Brevik and Larvik.

With a length of 80 meters and a beam of 15 meters, the vessel will have a cargo capacity of 120 TEU (twenty-foot equivalent unit). Replacing 40,000 truck journeys a year, Yara Birkeland will reduce NOx and CO2 emissions, and improve road safety in a densely populated urban area.

The vessel will gradually transition from manned operation to fully autonomous operation by 2022.

PG Flow Solutions will deliver a complete engine room pump system, consisting of coolers – including cooling pumps for the vessel’s battery pack and tunnel thrusters, bilge pumps, ballast water pumps and fire water pumps plus other associated equipment, spare parts and services.

The pump systems will be delivered in April 2019.

“We have delivered close to 2,000 engine and utility pump installations over the past four decades, but being chosen as supplier to the world’s first autonomous and electric container vessel is a particularly proud moment for us. An autonomous vessel requires the most reliable, high-quality equipment in the market, hence we are immensely proud that Vard has chosen our engine room pumps,” says Steve Paulsen, CEO of PG Flow Solutions.

“Our pump systems are energy efficient and have very low maintenance requirements. They are a good fit for the vessel’s requirements,” says Morten Espenæs, sales manager at PG Flow Solutions.