Yara Clean Ammonia, North Sea Container Line (NCL) and Yara International want to realise the world’s first container ship to use clean ammonia as fuel. The Yara Eyde will operate between Norway and Germany and will be the first emission-free sea route to the continent.
‘The green journey started with Yara Birkeland, the world’s first autonomous electric container ship, and now we are continuing it with Yara Eyde, which will be the world’s first clean ammonia container ship,’ says Svein Tore Holsether, CEO of Yara International.
Also read: Yara Marine to equip four Stena Line vessels with shore power solutions
First green shipping route to Europe
Yara Eyde is optimised for the trade corridor between Norway and Europe and will operate between Oslo, Brevik, Hamburg and Bremerhaven. From 2026, Norwegian companies can export their products on green keel, and trade goods can be imported to Norway emission-free.
Bente Hetland of NCL: ‘We see a growing demand from cargo owners to reduce emissions. The ship offers competitive and emission-free logistics to all cargo owners in the Oslofjord and Grenland region.’
Shipping new market segment for ammonia
Yara, through its established position as the world’s largest ammonia company with economies of scale in production, terminals and ammonia ships, feels it has a unique opportunity to scale up these business areas by participating in developing new market segments. The most important of the new segments will be related to shipping.
‘Yara has chosen to participate in this project to show that this segment can create additional growth for ammonia in the short term,’ says Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand, head of Yara Clean Ammonia. ‘Yara will contribute to developing this new market, but we will strategically use our funds to develop the production and logistics segment and not prioritise ownership in ships.’
Also read: Autonomous container ship Yara Birkeland sets sail
Bunkering network for clean ammonia
Yara Clean Ammonia will supply Yara Eyde with ammonia that is produced fossil-free or virtually carbon-free. Together with Azane Fuel Solutions, a storage and bunkering network is being developed to make clean ammonia available in Norwegian and eventually Scandinavian harbours. The bunkering network can also help to achieve Norway’s goal of reducing emissions from the offshore sector.
Enova and Innovation Norway are supporting the first pilots and plans are that a barge will supply Yara Eyde with low-emission fuel in Brevik. Yara Eyde will feature a number of energy saving measures, but no further information about the vessel itself has been released yet.
Also read: WinGD to power Exmar LPG’s first ammonia-fuelled vessels
