Two autonomous electric barges that were built by Cochin Shipyard Limited (CSL) for a Norwegian firm will begin their journey to Norway on board a yacht-transport carrier on Monday.

The 600-tonne electric barges named Maris and Teresa, each of which has a length of 67 metres, were placed on board the 210-metre-long mother vessel following an eight-hour effort on Sunday. The mother vessel owned by a Dutch firm was lowered 8.90 metres into the backwaters and its deck filled with water, following which tugs were used to pull the barges on board. This was followed by the raising of the mother vessel. The barges are expected to reach Norway in a month.

The electric barges were built for ASKO Maritime, the largest supermarket chain in Norway, which aims to achieve zero carbon emission in its logistics service by 2026.

After commissioning of the autonomous equipment and field trials in Norway, the vessels will operate as fully autonomous ferries that can transport 16 fully loaded trailers in one go.

Source: https://www.thehindu.com/news/national/kerala/autonomous-electric-barges-built-by-cochin-shipyard-to-begin-norway-trip/article65567408.ece