Jiangyuan Baihe, China's first electric inland river container ship with cargo capacity of 120 TEUs, has been in smooth operation along the Grand Canal between Taicang Port and Suzhou Industrial Park.
The ship is 79.92 meters long and 12.66 meters wide, with a speed of 17 km/h and a range of 220 km. The lithium iron phosphate batteries can be swapped in just 20 minutes or recharged.
Jiangsu is a large province of waterway transport and its waterway length accounts for about 20% of the country's total.
(CFP Photo)
To protect the environment, Jiangsu has promoted the low-carbon transformation of transportation industry, becoming the first province in China to expand the use of the LNG-powered ships for river transportation. By the end of last year, the number of newly built and renovated 92 ships fueled by LNG reached 91 in Jiangsu, about 33% of the total in China.
The smooth operation of Jiangyuan Baihe marks a new progress of the province's green development of water transportation.
"Having the advantage of quieter operation, the electric ship is easier to operate. It is estimated that each electric ship can save the use of 500 tons of fuel and reduce 1,520 tons of greenhouse gas emissions every year," said Chao Yang, chairman of Jiangsu Ocean Shipping.
Mei Zhengrong, deputy director of the province's Department of Transport, said about 17 pure electric container ships for river transportation will be put into use on six routes by 2025, when the commercial operation of such eco-friendly ships will gradually take shape in Jiangsu.
Shipbuilders have acted quickly to grasp the market opportunity. It's reported that companies in Jiangsu are now more willing to take orders for new energy vessels.
COSCO Shipping Heavy Industry Yangzhou will start build a 700-TEU pure electric vessel in December. Powered with batteries easier to swap or recharge, the vessel will be delivered in October 2023, and is expected to boast the largest battery capacity that supports long-distance sailing.
Wuxi Silent Electric System (SES) Technology is a company that focuses on integration of power systems and design of customized frequency converters in marine business. The company's general manager Wu Yunxiang said the average electricity cost for container ship is about 2,000 yuan per kWh and it takes about 5 to 6 years for the vessel with a range of 200 kilometers to be profitable.
The company has increased efforts to reduce the electricity cost per kWh to 800 yuan, which will greatly promote the green transformation of water transportation, according to Wu.
