South China's largest electric container ship sets sail from Nansha

The largest inland river intelligent electric container ship in South China set sail on Tuesday from the Nansha Port in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, heading towards Hong kong International Terminals.

The operation of the ship, fully loaded with furniture, daily necessities, and other goods produced in Guangdong, marked the official launch of the first zero-carbon container shipping route between Guangzhou and Hong Kong. The shipping route establishes a green water transport model with zero emissions and low noise, creating an efficient logistics channel from Nansha to Hong Kong.

The ship can reduce carbon emissions by over 550 tons annually, with an expected total lifecycle carbon reduction of up to 19,000 tons, according to Guangzhou Port Group.

The vessel uses a swap-and-charge energy replenishment model with containerized power sources to solve the endurance challenge that electric vessels face with battery swapping or direct charging. It can carry 240 standard containers.

Equipped with a full-ship intelligent operation and maintenance platform, the vessel achieves digital control of energy consumption monitoring, equipment maintenance, and ship-to-shore collaboration.

The launch of the zero-carbon route has a strong demonstrative and leading effect, which will undoubtedly drive more vessels towards electrification, according to Wan Xinzhou, deputy director of the Guangzhou Port Authority.

"Compared to traditional fuel-powered ships, they offer zero emissions and zero pollution throughout their journey," said Wan.

Caption:

The largest inland river intelligent electric container ship in South China set sail on Tuesday from the Nansha Port in Guangzhou, the capital of Guangdong province, heading towards Hong Kong International Terminals. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]