Norwegian maritime investment group Eitzen has confirmed an order for two battery-powered container vessels as it advances plans to expand electric shipping services in Northern Europe.
The contract was signed on 12 June with Zhejiang Dongpeng Shipbuilding & Repairing Co. for the construction of the vessels in China. The first ship is scheduled for delivery in 24 months, followed by the second vessel three months later.
The initiative will be led by Zen, a company within the Eitzen group focused on maritime electrification. The vessels will be deployed on an electric freight corridor connecting key ports across the North Sea region.
Each ship will have a carrying capacity of 900 TEU and will operate on a route linking Hamburg, Gothenburg and Oslo. According to the company, the vessels will be among the largest electric container ships placed into commercial service and will support the development of a new green shipping corridor in Northern Europe.
The ships will be equipped with electric propulsion systems powered by batteries developed within the Eitzen group. Battery capacity will exceed 100 MWh, enabling an operational range of approximately 500 to 600 nautical miles.
Production of the battery systems will take place at a facility in Tønsberg, Norway. The company stated that the batteries offer twice the energy density per volume of comparable technologies. They are also designed to remain functional even under permanent water immersion.
Fridtjof C. Eitzen, Co-Founder and CEO of Zen, said electric shipping is becoming commercially viable on selected trade routes and that the company aims to build the infrastructure required to expand its adoption.
The project is one of seven electric vessel initiatives that received support from Norway’s Enova program in June 2025. Enova awarded NOK 200 million, equivalent to approximately $21 million, for the development of the electric container vessels.
In a separate award, Enova allocated NOK 20.6 million, approximately $2.2 million, to the Port of Oslo for shore-based charging infrastructure at Yilport Oslo. The facility will provide high-voltage charging capability for battery-powered ships.
According to the Port of Oslo, the charging station will operate at 6.6 kV and provide a capacity of 7.5 MVA to support future operations of the electric container vessels.
