China’s Yangtze river rises in the mountains of Tibet, and then flows 3,915 miles before discharging into East China Sea. The Three Gorges and Gezhouba Dams in deep ravines may interrupt shipping, but container vessels will still ply the waters between. Most of these services could be cruising on battery power some day, as China converts across to renewable energy.
A Foot in the Water for Cruising on Battery Power
Maritime Executive reports that China has launched the first of two 700 TEU electric container ships, for the Yangtze service. These are forerunners of the Asian nation’s program to introduce electric ships throughout the waterway. The pioneer vessel built for cruising on battery power weighs around 10,000 tons, and has a width of almost eighty feet.
The term ‘700 TEU’ refers to the number of standard, twenty foot containers the new vessel can carry. With a draft of eighteen feet, and a swap-able battery cruising range of 600 miles, it is bound to point a way to future marine shipping.
The vessel, according to Maritime Executive, will have the largest battery capacity of any ship, anywhere in the world:
- The marine batteries will be housed in 36 replaceable containers for battery swapping along the route.
- Each of the two ships will have two 900 kW main propulsion motors, ensuring diesel matching performance.
Intelligent Battery Management System to Optimize Performance
This first of the initial two fully-battery-powered container ships, will set new standards for marine battery management. Artificial intelligence will determine parameters for each voyage, to optimize cruising on battery power.
Computers will tweak energy consumption to balance the speed of the voyage against other parameters. These will take account of planned arrival times, water flow, battery capacity, and other factors.
More Information
Powering Large Container Ships with Batteries
