Norway’s North Sea Container Line has teamed up with Yara International and its subsidiary Yara Clean Ammonia for the construction of what could become the first ammonia-fuelled container ship.
No details have been given about the price or where the vessel will be built, but Yara International chief executive Svein Tore Holsether, told TradeWinds it will be on the water in 2026.
NCL chief executive Bente Hetland confirmed the vessel will be built with a two-stroke dual-fuel engine, The ammonia will be supplied by Azane Fuel Solutions, a company backed by Yara and Navigator Holdings building a clean ammonia bunker network in Norway, with Yara Clean Ammonia as one of the partners.
The vessel will use about 10,000 tonnes of ammonia annually, so the expectation is that it will bunker about 180 tonnes every week in Norway.
Fertiliser and ammonia producer Yara International has signed an agreement that it will use up to 40% of the vessel’s cargo capacity to ship its products from Norway to Hamburg and Bremerhaven for export.
Tore added that securing Yara as a key cargo owner for the vessel will enable NCL to sell the clean route to other shippers.
The vessel will also be instrumental for Yara as it tackles its Scope 3 emissions.
The newbuilding, already named Yara Eyde after one of the Yara founders, will be 149 metres long with a capacity of 1,300 teu. The order comes with funding from the Norwegian funding organisation Enova to cover the additional costs of the ammonia fuel system. Enova and Innovation Norway are also involved in funding the bunker barge development.
The south Norway to Germany route is being designated as a green corridor to help promote the transition to clean fuels.
