The operators NCL and Yara are now also negotiating with third-party customers for their zero-emission container shortsea service in Northern Europe. More than half of the service capacity is still available.
The planned first climate-neutral container liner service in Northern Europe with “clean” ammonia as fuel can still take on cargo customers.[ds_preview] So far, only 40% of the slot capacity of the 1,400 TEU container ship “Yara Eyde”, which will be deployed between Norway and Germany from 2026, has been taken up by cargo from project partner Yara International, as was reported yesterday at the Sustainable Shipping Conference in Bremen.
“Talks are now underway with other shippers to secure more volume for the ship,” reported Vibeke Rasmussen, Head of Product Management & Certification at Yara Clean Ammonia.
Yara Clean Ammonia is the shipping and logistics subsidiary of the Norwegian fertiliser group Yara International and, together with the Norwegian container line North Sea Container Line (NCL), has founded the joint venture NCL Oslofjord AS for the liner operation of the “Yara Eyde”. The company charters the ship, which was designed for ammonia operations and ordered from Qingdao Yangfan Shipbuilding, on a long-term basis from the Belgian shipping company CMB.TECH as owner.
Yara also calls at Hamburg and Bremerhaven
The freighter will connect the ports of Oslo, Porsgrunn, Hamburg, and Bremerhaven in the shortsea trade. However, Rasmussen announced that other ports on the continent, such as Rotterdam, could be added to the schedule if corresponding cargo contracts are signed. The containers of fertiliser to be transported from the Yara factory in Porsgrunn are, therefore, only the basic cargo for the service.
While NCL will provide the resources for sales and operations, Yara Clean Ammonia will take over the bunkering of the “Yara Eyde” with blue and later green ammonia. For Yara International as a cargo customer, the service is expected to save 11,000 tons of CO2 emissions per year in the supply chain.
Rasmussen did not provide any details on the freight rates for the planned emission-free shortsea liner service with the “Yara Eyde”, nor on the planned costs for the ammonia operation. “It will be easier for the cargo in the container to absorb the additional costs for the new fuel,” promised the manager. “In terms of a pair of sneakers, we’re talking about amounts in the penny range.” (mph)
