Bulk Loaders AS, working in collaboration with DP World, has been awarded NOK 89.2m (approximately $8.5m) in funding from Enova, the Norwegian government agency that supports energy and climate technology projects, to build a battery-powered cargo vessel.

The project was developed with The Norwegian Ship Design Company (NSD), which declared on LinkedIn that it was "proud to help take another important step towards zero-emission shipping" through its involvement in the design.

According to NSD, the vessel will transport powdered products and liquid cargo for the oil industry, operating primarily on the route between Stavanger and Kristiansund on Norway's west coast.

"Combining battery propulsion with flexible cargo handling solutions, the project aims to enable zero-emission freight transport, shift cargo from road to sea and improve coastal logistics," NSD stated.

Enova, which administers a Norwegian state fund financed through government allocations and a levy on electricity network tariffs, regularly provides grants to shipowners and vessel developers pursuing low- and zero-emission vessels as part of Norway’s wider push to decarbonise shipping. It has previously backed a range of battery-electric and hydrogen-fuelled vessel projects for Norwegian coastal and short-sea operations.