The world’s largest purely electric container ship has officially begun commercial operations in China.
China’s state news agency Xinhua reported last week that the Ning Yuan Dian Kun, built by Jiangxi Jiangxin Shipbuilding, began commercial operations with an inaugural run between the Ningbo-Zhoushan and Jiaxing ports in China’s eastern Zhejiang Province.
The 10,000-tonne-class container vessel measures in at 127.8 metres in length and 21.6 metres wide and can carry 742 standard 20-foot containers.
Powering the Ning Yuan Dian Kun are 10 containerised batteries with a total capacity of up to 19 megawatt-hours (MWh) which feed a pair of 875 kilowatt (kW) permanent-magnet synchronous propulsion motors.
A dual-mode charging system combines high-voltage shore power with rapid container swapping
The vessel was developed and designed by the Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute and is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 1,462 tonnes annually.
In addition to its clean energy credentials, the Ning Yuan Dian Kun is also billed as an “intelligent” container ship thanks to its smart navigation and engine systems which enable autonomous collision avoidance, high-precision tracking, and integrated ship-shore-cloud control.
Other smart functions built into the intelligent platform include real-time panoramic vessel monitoring, autonomous route planning, and the ability to switch seamlessly between manual and intelligent navigation modes.
The aerodynamics of the vessel have also not been ignored, with a specially designed wind-reduction bow shape that cuts air resistance by between 15 to 20 per cent.
A sister ship, the Ning Yuan Dian Peng, is scheduled to begin its own sea trials in May ahead of delivery in June.
The two vessels will be operated by Ningbo Ocean Shipping, which currently operates 32 energy efficient or “green” vessels that account for 57 per cent of the company’s fleet.
“This project demonstrates our commitment to the green transformation of the shipping industry and China’s dual carbon goals,” said Chen Xiaofeng, chairman of Ningbo Ocean Shipping.
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.