China commissioned a pair of all-electric container ships earlier this year, and one coastal carrier has taken a bold step toward adopting the cleaner vessels.
In May, The Maritime Executive reported that Ningbo Ocean Shipping ordered two of the ships, which the carrier has billed as the largest of their kind in the world.
Designed by Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute for China COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited, the 420-foot vessels have seven cargo holds and a number of features to safeguard the crew's comfort.
First, the 10 box batteries that power the ship, providing 19,000 kilowatt-hours (kWh) of energy, will have a dedicated area away from the crew. While the company didn't provide details on the batteries' range, workers can swap or recharge them at port.
Moreover, the bow's shape protects against wind, noise, and vibration, while a dual-engine, dual-prop propulsion system aids maneuverability in what The Maritime Executive called "complex conditions."
According to global insurance company AXA XL, changes in the climate — primarily driven by pollution from dirty fuels such as coal, gas, and oil — have disrupted the maritime industry. Severe weather events such as hurricanes have become increasingly intense, and sea-level changes have impacted the availability of certain routes.
Given that most goods are still transported via water, it's crucial to find solutions to ensure that product availability and the sector's essential economic prosperity don't interfere with the quality of our air or the overall health of our planet.
The European Federation for Transport and Environment notes that the shipping industry accounts for around 3% of planet-warming pollution globally, but that percentage could increase to 10 by 2050.
Innovators have turned to biofuels and clean ammonia as potential alternative energy sources, but electrification could also significantly reduce this issue. Mining for battery materials is less polluting than digging for dirty energy, and vessels that run on electricity don't release pollution when running.
COSCO has already launched an all-electric container ship, with the Greenwater 01 projected to eliminate more than 3,000 tons of carbon pollution annually.
However, The Maritime Executive reported that the new vessels will have capacities of 740 TEU (20-foot equivalent unit), whereas other COSCO ships are capped at 700 TEU. This extra room could help cut down on extra, resource-consuming runs.
The open-hatch design is also intended to improve efficiency during loading and unloading, while the onboard intelligence system integration does the same for operations.
After receiving its electric ships, Ningbo Ocean Shipping will use them to run a feeder service, transporting containers regionally to a bustling international hub in Ningbo, according to The Maritime Executive.
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