(Photo/Zhou Haiying)

China’s first electric inland shipping vessel with a cargo capacity of carrying 120 TEUs took to the water in Zhenjiang Shipyard on August 8.

The project supported by the Department of Transport in Jiangsu Province and Jiangsu Port Group aims to pilot the use of electric ships featuring zero carbon emissions and pollution, thus driving the green transformation of inland river shipping sector.

The electric vessel, 79.92 meters long and 12.66 meters wide, has a speed of 17 km/h. Powered by lithium iron phosphate batteries with a higher safety performance, the ship can save the use of 500 tonnes of fuel per year and reduce emissions of 1,520 tonnes of harmful gases compared with conventional vessels.

A major waterway transport province, Jiangsu is home to a section of the Yangtze River running 370 km east to west and a 687 km-long section of the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. Jiangsu has about 30,000 cargo transport vessels sailing in its waterways. To promote the use of renewable energy in the river shipping industry, the province has encouraged initiatives to save energy and cut emissions.

In February this year, Jiangsu Ocean Shipping, a subsidiary of Jiangsu Port Group, started building the 120-TEU pure electric ship, which will be used for sailing along the 80-km section of the Grand Canal linking Suzhou Industrial Park and Taicang Port. Battery swapping and charging stations will be set up along the waterway, and a single battery swapping service can be completed in 20 minutes.

In the pilot project, Jiangsu Ocean Shipping has given full consideration to safety, technology and economic feasibility. It has adopted batteries, power system and battery installation technologies that stand out for higher safety and easier scaleup. The shipbuilding also complied with the "Green Ship 3" standards, the highest for inland river vessels.