The contract award from cargo owners HeidelbergCement Norway and Felleskjpet AGRI comes after a six-month competitive tender period that saw 31 ship owners compete.

The aim of HeidelbergCement and Felleskjpet is to create a sustainable transport network free of greenhouse gas emissions, with zero-emission vessels playing a key role.

The transport network will combine the two companies' cargoes, transporting aggregates from western to eastern Norway and grain in the opposite direction.

During 2021, the ship design will be completely developed and optimized, with the aim of ordering the vessel by the end of the year. Early in 2024, the zero-emission ship will be put into operation.

In several meetings with cargo owners and DNV experts, Egil Ulvan Rederi and Norwegian Ship Design jointly proposed technological solutions with an emphasis on energy efficiency and reduced fuel costs.

Direct use of nature's own powers, according to the two firms, will be an important part of reducing the shipping industry's carbon footprint.

The project name for the ship design is "With Orca" – Powered by Nature. The ship will have two large rotor sails that will spin in the wind.

Maritime Business World