10,000-ton electric container ship tests off Jiangxi province

China's first 10,000-ton intelligent oceangoing vessel powered entirely by electricity has entered sea trials in Jiangxi province. It is the largest ship of its type in the world.

The 740-twenty-foot-equivalent-unit (TEU) pure electric open-top container ship, Ningyuan Diankun, built by Jiangxi Jiangxin Shipbuilding, departed from its dock in Hukou county of Jiujiang city on Feb 1 after completing outfitting and mooring tests.

The trials will assess battery power supply, propulsion performance, hull operation, and autonomous navigation, with testing scheduled to reach the trial area near Shanghai on Feb 6 and finish on Feb 13.

The vessel measures 127.8 meters long and can carry 740 standard containers.