According to foreign media reports, Norwegian maritime investment group Eitzen Group is advancing its plan to build two electric container ships.
The group confirmed on June 12 that it has placed an order with a Chinese shipyard for two 900TEU feeder vessels, to be constructed by Zhejiang Dongpeng Shipyard. The first vessel is expected to be delivered 24 months later, and the second vessel 27 months later.
Eitzen Group stated that this order will modernize short-sea shipping and accelerate the transition to battery-powered vessels, led by the group’s battery company Zen.
In June last year, the group’s subsidiary Eitzen Avanti received approximately 200 million Norwegian kroner (about $21 million) in shipbuilding subsidies from Enova, a funding agency under the Norwegian Ministry of Climate and Environment, for designing the vessels and building the necessary electrification infrastructure.
These two vessels will become among the largest electric container ships ever put into commercial operation and will be used to establish an electric freight corridor. Zen plans to operate these two vessels in Nordic waters, connecting ports across Northern Europe. The route will link Hamburg, Gothenburg, and Oslo, aiming to create a new green shipping corridor for the Nordic region.
The vessels will adopt an electric propulsion system, with battery packs exceeding 100 megawatt-hours in capacity and a range of 500 to 600 nautical miles. These batteries will be produced at a factory in Tønsberg, Norway, and are claimed to have twice the energy density per unit volume compared to similar solutions. The batteries are waterproof and can withstand permanent submersion.
Zen co-founder and CEO Fridtjof C. Eitzen said: “Electrification is no longer a concept of the future. On select routes, electric shipping is becoming commercially viable. Zen was founded precisely to lead this transition and build the infrastructure needed for large-scale electric shipping.”
This project is one of seven electric vessel projects funded by the Enova fund in June 2025. The government fund aims to promote zero-carbon transportation solutions, allocating a total of 363 million Norwegian kroner (about $38.17 million).
