China’s coastal shipping shifts as Ning Yuan Dian Kun joins fleet

The 742 TEU vessel begins coastal deployment in Zhejiang.

China has put Ning Yuan Dian Kun into commercial service on a coastal route between Ningbo-Zhoushan Port and Jiaxing Port in Zhejiang Province, the company said.

According to a press release, the 10,000-tonne-class pure electric intelligent container ship is the first and largest vessel of its type in the world, beginning its operations on a domestic shipping lane previously served by fossil fuel-powered ships.

The ship measures 127.8 metres in length and 21.6 metres in width, with a design draft of 6.2 metres. It has a capacity of 742 twenty-foot equivalent units and is fitted with two 875-kilowatt permanent-magnet synchronous propulsion motors.

Power is supplied by 10 containerised battery units with a combined capacity of about 20,000 kilowatt hours, with the operator estimating annual carbon dioxide reductions of around 1,462 tonnes and reports zero emissions during operation.

The vessel uses smart navigation and engine systems that support collision avoidance, high-precision tracking, and integrated ship–shore–cloud control.

It also uses a dual-mode charging system combining high-voltage shore power and container swapping for energy replenishment.

Design features include an open-deck layout for cargo handling efficiency and a bow structure designed to reduce air resistance by 15% to 20%.

The Shanghai Merchant Ship Design and Research Institute designed the vessel, whilst Ningbo Ocean Shipping Co., Ltd. operates it.

A sister vessel, Ning Yuan Dian Peng, is scheduled for sea trials in May and delivery in June, and will join the same fixed-route electric shipping operation.