Norwegian company Yara will launch the world's first electric cargo ship next year. Initially manned, the vessel will move to remote control in 2019 before becoming totally autonomous in 2020.

Named Yara Birkeland, the vessel will sail between Yara's main factory facility in Norway to some of the country's bigger ports, carrying cargo which is currently transported by road. It's estimated that the battery-powered ship will remove the need for 40,000 truck journeys a year.

Making "Drone" Ships a Reality

Although advances in driverless cars are getting more media attention, major advances have already been made in bringing artificial intelligence to the shipping and freight industries.