Clean ammonia might sound like an oxymoron, but Norwegian company Yara is setting out to prove otherwise with the world's first container ship powered by the alternative fuel.
As detailed by New Atlas, the Yara Eyde is expected to begin accepting imports and exports in 2026 and will sail between Norway and Germany. At the outset, it will travel around 508 miles at maximum.
"We see an increasing demand from cargo owners to reduce emissions. Yara Eyde offers competitive and emission-free logistics to cargo owners," North Sea Container Line managing director Bente Hetland said in a November press release about the vessel.
The logistics company partnered with Yara International and Yara Clean Ammonia to bring the project to fruition.
The shipping industry is responsible for roughly 3% of air pollution, and overconsumption in an increasingly interconnected world contributes to the issue. Statista notes that pollution from international shipping has increased by nearly 90% since 1990.
However, as New Atlas pointed out, more cleanly powering our ships is a challenge, as batteries don't provide enough oomph and are too large and heavy. Green hydrogen, which may be a promising solution for air travel, also isn't the most "practical."
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That's where ammonia comes in as a potential clean fuel — assuming the production doesn't use highly polluting processes or draw upon a dirty-energy-fueled electrical grid.
Online magazine Yale Environment 360 notes that the method used to manufacture most ammonia, a common fertilizer in agriculture, is "one of the dirtiest on the planet."
Green ammonia can be created using renewable energy sources like solar or wind, and on its website, Yara says that its plant can produce enough hydrogen to deliver more than 22,000 tons of clean ammonia every year.
"To succeed in decarbonizing shipping, low-emission technologies must be brought to commercial scale within the next decade," Yara Clean Ammonia president Magnus Krogh Ankarstrand said in a press release.
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The Yara Eyde is projected to eliminate around 12,000 tons of carbon pollution each year, according to the company, which will make both ocean creatures and our lungs much happier — particularly if the project successfully scales up as intended.
"This unique project takes a major step towards zero-emission supply chains for Yara and demonstrates that clean ammonia will be able to provide cost-effective and environmentally friendly maritime transport," Ankarstrand added.
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