In a First, India’s Cochin Shipyard Delivers Electric Barges To Norway
Christened after the Norwegian Olympians, two barges, ‘Therese’ and ‘Marit’, about 67 meters in length, are powered by a battery of approximately 1846kWh capacity. After the commissioning of the autonomous equipment and field trials in Norway, the vessels will operate as autonomous ferries of ASKO that can transport 16 loaded EU trailers in go-across fjords.
A fjord is a long, narrow, deep body of water reaching inland. Fjords are set in a U-shaped valley boasting rock walls on either side. These formations are found in New Zealand, Greenland, Canada, Alaska, the US, Norway, and Chile.
Queried regarding the number of vessels that CSL has delivered to foreign customers, Shivram N, General Manager, informed WION that the number would exceed 40. He added that autonomous equipment, necessary cabling and outfitting are performed at CSL. However, advanced sensors are installed in Norway.
Designed by a Norway-based firm named Naval Dynamics leveraging Kongsberg Maritime systems, the vessels were built at CSL with minute engineering under DNV GL Classification. They have been flagged in Norway per the rules of the Norwegian Maritime Authority. Once they start operating, the vessels are likely to create a benchmark for merchant shipping in the domain of Autonomous Vessels built for Zero Carbon emissions.
In the unique event, the two vessels will be transported to Norway in a yacht transport carrier. They were loaded to a large mother vessel on Sunday, likely to sail on Tuesday from Kochi. It is expected to reach Norway in a month.
References: Mathrubhumi, Wion
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