China's largest liner carrier, COSCO, which specializes in marine transport, has reportedly introduced the world's largest, fully electric "river to sea" ship, called Green Water 01.
A gigantic, entirely electric container ship that COSCO constructed to keep up with the times has formally started service in China.
With its headquarters in Shanghai, China Ocean Shipping (Group) Company, or COSCO for short, is a state-owned multinational conglomerate that transports hundreds of container ships every day and also lends ships to Chinese automakers so they can sell their electric vehicles to new markets worldwide, including Europe.
(Photo by Kevin Frayer/Getty Images)
For each 100 nautical miles, the ship is predicted to save 3,900 kg (8,600 pounds) of fuel. More battery boxes can be added to the vessel for extended trips, with a main battery capacity of over 50,000 kilowatt-hours.
According to SCMP, to extend the cargo ship's range, 1,600kWh of electricity can be placed into battery boxes the size of typical 20-foot containers.
The 394-foot (120-meter) by 78-foot (24-meter) catamaran, equipped with 24 battery boxes, can complete a voyage requiring 80,000kWh of electricity. For any other non-electric ship, the same voyage would require more than 15 tons of fuel.
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World's Largest Sustainable Ship
COSCo stated on its WeChat social media account following the ship's inaugural voyage in late April that the Greenwater 01 could achieve notable emission reductions all year long and offer the shipping sector strong support in reaching the objective of "peaking" carbon emissions and becoming carbon neutral.
After a smooth launch, the Green Water 01 vessel has started a weekly voyage across Shanghai and Nanjing.
Furthermore, according to COSCO, its first voyage with zero emissions, pollution, or noise has established a new standard for how the shipping sector is changing to meet low-carbon and environmentally friendly goals.
COSCO claims that the ship's length, molded breadth, deadweight tonnage, number of containers it can hold, and battery capacity are among the world records it has already shattered in the category of electric container ships.
At its maximum speed of 19.4 km/h (12 mph), the Green Water 01 has a total length of 119.8 meters. Its molded width and depth are 23.6 and 9 meters, respectively. Its design draft is 5.5 meters.
Green Water 01's First Sail and Safety
The ship's first sail was on April 29 of this year. The ship's crew also mentioned how safety is of utmost importance for electric vessels, especially those using lithium-iron-phosphate batteries.
The ship is equipped with a fire detection and alarm system specifically developed for the battery compartment, and crew members receive specialist fire training to manage situations involving these batteries.
An officer at Yangshan Port in Shanghai named Zhang Lifu highlights the special difficulties presented by lithium iron phosphate batteries and stresses the value of crew preparation in responding to possible fire events.
COSCO deployed two 700TEU electric container ships, N997 and N998, in addition to the Greenwater 01; these ships include cutting-edge battery-powered propulsion systems.
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