A first-ever hydrogen-powered container ship has been ordered by Delphis, the container division of CMB.TECH, and will be operated by NCL Oslofjord AS, a joint venture between North Sea Container Line and Yara Clean Ammonia.

The vessel is intended for coastal connections between Norwegian and German ports. The fuel will be supplied by Yara Clean Ammonia, a manufacturer of green ammonia made from renewable energy.

CMB.Tech specialises in adapting internal combustion engines to run on e-fuels, a family of fuels to which ammonia belongs.

At ambient temperature and pressure, ammonia is an irritating gas. It takes the form of a liquid when heated to -33°C, physical and chemical characteristics that make it easier to store than hydrogen, which is stored as a liquid under very high pressure (700 bars) or very low temperature (-253°C). The Yara Eyde vessel will be delivered in mid-2026 and will have a capacity of 1,400 20' boxes, as well as an Ice Class rating. This vessel could pave the way for the construction of larger container ships.

By way of comparison, the largest of these ships, the 399-metre MSC Irina, carries 24,346 boxes. The issue of fuel for commercial vessels is far from anecdotal, as these ships use heavy, poorly refined fuel that emits large quantities of pollutants and soot.

The Yara Eyde will probably use ammonia as a direct fuel in combustion engines, although the propulsion system has not yet been revealed. The company mentions 250 kWh of batteries and the possibility of connecting to the quayside grid. This large capacity is probably linked to the cooling of the hydrogen.