COSCO, the Chinese shipping giant, has taken delivery of two newbuild battery-powered containerships, touted as the largest electric vessels to date. Officially named and commissioned into service in China on December 28th, 2023.
The ships have been named “COSCO Shipping Green Water 01” and “COSCO Shipping Green Water 02”. These vessels measure 119.8 meters in length, 23.6 meters in width, and weigh approximately 10,000 tons.
Operating solely on battery power, these ships have a capacity to transport up to 700 TEU. Their innovative design incorporates batteries housed within containers, facilitating easy swapping and replacement once the batteries are depleted. Presently, each ship is equipped with 24 batteries housed in a 20-foot container, with a capacity to carry up to 36 units.
This modular design enables uninterrupted journeys, overcoming limitations like extended charging times, reduced load capacity, and short cruising ranges on a single battery charge.
These ships are being billed to have the largest deadweight tonnage, length, container capacity, and battery capacity among all electric containerships built to date. COSCO has also highlighted the integration of smart navigation and energy management systems within the ship’s operations, expected to reduce emissions by an estimated 2,918 tons annually.
These ships are to be operated by Shanghai Pan Asia Shipping, which is a COSCO subsidiary. The ships will traverse from Shanghai to Wuhan along the Yangtze River, which is a distance of approximately 600 nautical miles.
– Fleetmon