Norwegian state agency Enova is granting NOK 200 million (about €18.2 million) to Eitzen Avanti, part of the Eitzen Group, for the construction of two fully battery-electric container ships, Electrive reports.
The vessels will be built in China by Zhejiang Dongpeng Shipbuilding & Repairing Co.
Each ship will be equipped with a 100 MWh battery system, enabling a range of around 500–600 nautical miles. That is enough for several key European shipping routes, including Oslo–Rotterdam, but not for intercontinental trade.
“We are not just building electric ships. We are creating the infrastructure that makes electromobility in shipping indispensable,” said Fridtjof C. Eitzen, Co-Founder and CEO of Zen, the Eitzen Group subsidiary behind the wider system development.
The project is not limited to the ships themselves. Eitzen’s subsidiary Zen is developing what it calls a full ecosystem for battery-electric shipping, including charging infrastructure, fleet software, and future autonomous operations.
“This includes infrastructure for ship batteries, charging networks along trade corridors, fleet operation software, energy management systems, remote control, and future autonomy,” the company said in a statement.
The vessels will carry around 990 standard containers each and are expected to be delivered in a wider rollout of similar ships.
Enova has previously supported identical sister ships in the same program, with the first expected to enter service in 2029.
