CMB.TECH and Yara to build world’s first ammonia-powered boxship

The vessel, to be named Yara Eyde, is a 1,400 teu ice-class containership to be built at China’s Qingdao Yangfan Shipbuilding, which is set to become the world’s first ammonia-powered container vessel. 

Yara Eyde will be owned by Delphis, the container division of CMB.TECH and operated by NCL Oslofjord, 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, aiming to become the world’s first line operator to focus exclusively on ammonia-powered ships.

Alexander Saverys, CEO of CMB.TECH said "We are delighted to partner up with Yara and NCL to build the world’s first ammonia-powered container ship. Yara, NCL and CMB.TECH are walking the talk to decarbonise 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 decarbonise 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 decarbonise the maritime industry.”

Related:Japanese consortium to deliver ammonia-fuelled gas carrier in 2026

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

The vessel is expected to be delivered by mid-2026.