World’s First Ammonia-powered Containership Ordered

Partners behind a project to develop the world’s first ammonia-powered containership have placed an order to build the groundbreaking vessel at Qingdao Yangfan Shipbuilding, in China.

Expected to be delivered by mid-2026, the 1,400 TEU ice-class containership Yara Eyde will run on ammonia as fuel, serving routes between Norway and Germany.

The vessel will be owned by Delphis, the container division of CMB.TECH, and operated by NCL Oslofjord AS, a joint venture between North Sea Container Line and Yara Clean Ammonia.

The commercial operations will be managed by NCL’s existing set-up while Yara Clean Ammonia will deliver ammonia fuel to the vessel. The joint venture has secured a long-term CoA with Yara International for the freight of containers between Yara’s fertilizer plant in Porsgrunn, Norway and Hamburg and Bremerhaven in Germany. It is their aim to become the world’s first line operator to focus exclusively on ammonia-powered ships.

Alexander Saverys, CEO of CMB.TECH, said, "Yara, NCL and CMB.TECH are walking the talk to decarbonize shipping by combining our knowhow on clean ammonia, operational excellence in the North Sea and state-of-the-art low-carbon ships. We want to prove to the world that we can decarbonize today to navigate tomorrow.”

Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, President Yara Clean Ammonia, said, "Uniting forward-thinking entities, this project accelerates the development of a zero-emission supply chain for Scandinavia and Northwest Europe's container shipments. It's the first of its kind globally, demonstrating clean ammonia's potential to decarbonize the maritime industry.”

Bente Hetland, CEO of NCL, said, "The project proves that decarbonization is possible today, and we are confident that the project will pave the way for clean ammonia as a dominating fuel in the industry.”