en.Wedoany.com Reported - Norwegian maritime investment group Eitzen is advancing plans to build two electric container ships, stating that the move aims to modernize short-sea shipping and accelerate the transition to battery-powered vessels. On June 12, the company confirmed at a ceremony in Oslo that it had placed an order with a Chinese shipyard.

The order was placed with Zhejiang Dongpeng Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. The first vessel is scheduled for delivery within 24 months, and the second within 27 months. Eitzen reported that the group is consolidating its focus on maritime electrification, led by its subsidiary Zen.

These vessels will be among the largest electric container ships to enter commercial operation, intended to establish an electric freight corridor. Zen plans to operate these ships in the North Sea region, connecting Nordic ports with routes covering Hamburg, Gothenburg, and Oslo. Each vessel has a capacity of 900 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU), aiming to create a new green shipping corridor for Northern Europe.

The ships will feature an electric propulsion system, with a company within the Eitzen Group developing the batteries. According to the announcement, the battery packs will have a capacity exceeding 100 megawatt-hours, providing a range of 500 to 600 nautical miles. These batteries will be manufactured at a factory in Tønsberg, Norway, and are claimed to have twice the energy density per unit volume compared to similar solutions, while being waterproof and capable of withstanding permanent immersion.

"Electrification is no longer a concept of the future," said Fridtjof C. Eitzen, co-founder and CEO of Zen. "It has become commercially viable on specific routes today. Zen was founded to lead this transition and build the infrastructure needed for electric shipping at scale."

This project is one of seven electric vessels that received funding from Norway's Enova in June 2025. The government fund, dedicated to advancing zero-carbon transportation solutions, allocated 200 million Norwegian kroner (approximately $21 million) for the development of electric container ships.

Enova also granted 20.6 million Norwegian kroner (approximately $2.2 million) to the Port of Oslo for developing shore power charging capabilities at Yilport Oslo. This will be a high-voltage shore power station for battery-powered vessels. The Port of Oslo stated that the charging facility for container ships will have a voltage level of 6.6 kilovolts and a capacity of 7.5 megavolt-amperes.

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