The world’s first clean ammonia-powered container ship

Monday, 4 December 2023 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

Yara Clean Ammonia, North Sea Container Line, and Yara International join forces to realise the world’s first container ship that will use clean ammonia as fuel. Named Yara Eyde, the vessel will be the first to sail emission-free sea route between Norway and Germany.

“Yara Eyde will be the world’s first container ship running on clean ammonia and is a cross-sector collaboration enabling large-scale emission reductions ahead of the critical 2030 climate targets,” says Yara International President and CEO Svein Tore Holsether.

With global shipping accounting for 706 million tonnes of CO2 emissions last year (source: International Energy Agency), it is imperative that we cooperate across value chains to reach the 1.5°C goal by 2030. Yara International is a founding member of the First Movers Coalition and supports the Green Shipping Challenge. Yara International and Yara Clean Ammonia promote low-carbon solutions across hard-to-abate sectors and clean ammonia as fuel in new and retrofitted zero-emission vessels.

Yara Eyde is optimised for the trade corridor between Norway and Germany and will operate between Oslo, Porsgrunn, Hamburg and Bremerhaven. From 2026, Norwegian companies can trade their products emissions-free in and out of Norway. Yara International is participating as cargo-owner. The fertiliser produced in Porsgrunn will be shipped emission-free to Germany, cutting scope 3 emissions with 11,000 tonnes of CO2 per year.

“We see an increasing demand from cargo owners to reduce emissions. Yara Eyde offers competi-tive and emission-free logistics to cargo owners,” says North Sea Container Line’s Bente Hetland.

“To succeed in decarbonising shipping, low-emission technologies must be brought to commercial scale within the next decade. It is imperative that carriers are incentivised to choose low-carbon fuel,” says Yara Clean Ammonia President Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand.

Yara Clean Ammonia AS and North Sea Container Line AS are establishing a joint venture to realise Yara Eyde, while the ship will be operated by NCL Oslofjord AS. The joint venture aims to become the world’s first line operator to focus exclusively on ammonia-powered container ships. Enova has awarded Yara Eyde just over NOK 40 million, and the support is decisive for implementing the project.

“With our industrial DNA from our main shareholder Elkem, North Sea Container Line is very pleased to see Birkeland and Eyde reunite to facilitate a new industrial revolution. The partnership with Yara fits perfectly with our ambitious emissions strategy, and we are pleased to see the commitment Yara has shown to reduce emissions,” says Hetland.

Maritime transport causes approximately 3% of global CO2 emissions (source: International Maritime Organisation).

Clean ammonia will cut emissions from shipping, enabling emission-free transport of goods across the globe.

“This unique project takes a major step towards zero-emission supply chains for Yara and demonstrates that clean ammonia will be able to provide cost-effective and environmentally friendly maritime transport. Yara Eyde will demonstrate the maturity of ammonia as a maritime fuel,” says Ankarstrand.