The world’s biggest fully electric container ship is the Greenwater 01, designed and constructed by China Ocean Shipping Group (COSCO).
This is a significant step towards zero emissions shipping and shows China’s ambitions to decarbonise its maritime and industrial sectors.
The ship is 119.8 m long and 23.6 m wide with a moulded depth of 9 m and a draft of 5.5 m. It has a deadweight tonnage of more than 10,000 tonnes and a 700 TEU capacity.
Its main battery capacity is over 50,000 kWh while its maximum speed is 19.4 km per hour.
The ship features extra containerised battery boxes, each adding 1600 kWh, up to 24 added for a total of 80,000 kWh. The battery containers can be loaded or unloaded to scale power storage for longer journeys.
The largest fully electric container ship helps save around 3900 kg of fuel and cuts 12.4 tonnes of carbon dioxide per 100 nm, and up to 2918 tonnes of carbon dioxide reduction annually.
The ship does not pollute the environment and is noiseless, marking a great shift from traditional fuel-based shipping.
It sails under the Chinese flag, operating routinely between Shanghai and Nanjing, which is a vital economic corridor along the Yangtze River, covering 1000 km without recharging when fully equipped with battery containers.
It often carries electronics, consumer items, electric vehicles destined for both domestic and international markets.
Observers and experts called its maiden voyage a ‘clarion call for a greener future in container shipping.’
Another ship is Yara Birkeland, which is also the world’s first autonomous, fully electric container ship.
The ship was built by VARD, a subsidiary of Fincantieri and is owned by Yara International. It currently sails under the Norwegian flag.
It is 80 m long and 15 m wide with a 12 m depth and a 6 m draught.
The ship has a deadweight tonnage of 3200 tonnes and a cargo capacity of 120 TEUs.
Its battery capacity is 6.7–6.8 MWh and can be charged using renewable electricity sources.
The ship was designed by Marin Teknikk AS, and Kongsberg Maritime was responsible for its sensor systems, electric propulsion and automation.
The ship has an open-top hull design for swift container loading and unloading. It has no separate tanks for ballast as the battery packs act as a permanent ballast.
It boasts an automatic mooring system which allows for autonomous berthing and unberthing.
The vessel’s main route of operation is from Herøya, site of Yara’s production plant in Porsgrunn, to Brevik, Norway. It conducts around 2 and a half roundtrips per week, carrying containers of fertilisers manufactured by Yara for export.
The vessel has replaced atleast 40,000 annual truck journeys between factory and port, preventing potential road congestion, pollution and emissions.
It operates at a speed of 6 to 7 knots, which is the optimal speed for efficiency, while its maximum speed is 13 to 15 knots.
As of April 2024, the ship has completed 175 plus journeys and has transported more than 21,800 containers.
Another such vessel is the China Zorrilla, a passenger and vehicle ferry built by Incat and operated by South American ferry company Buquebus. It was launched in May 2025 and is 130 m long.
The vessel can accommodate 2100 people and 225 vehicles. It has a gross tonnage of 14,000 tonnes and a battery system of more than 250 tonnes of batteries and 40-plus MWh of energy storage, with its energy storage system being 4 times bigger than any previous maritime installation.
It has 8 electric-driven waterjets and a 2,300 m² duty-free retail deck, the biggest on any ferry worldwide.
The electric ship will operate between Buenos Aires, Argentina and Uruguay, crossing the Plate River.
You might also like to read-
- Understanding Design Of Container Ships
- What are Container Ships – History, Types And Design
- Hull of a Ship – Understanding Design and Characteristics
- What are Passenger Ships?