The world's largest and first 10,000-ton pure electric intelligent container vessel, the Ningyuan Diankun, set sail on April 15 from the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port bound for the Zhapu Port area in Jiaxing, marking the official start of its commercial operations and ushering in a new phase of exploration and development for China's coastal container shipping driven by pure electric power and intelligent navigation, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port told the Global Times in a statement.

Developed by Ningbo Ocean Shipping Co, the Ningyuan Diankun measures 127.8 meters in length and 21.6 meters in width, with a carrying capacity of 742 standard containers. The vessel is powered by 10 standardized battery containers with a total storage capacity of about 20,000 kilowatt-hours, equivalent to the combined battery capacity of about 300 household electric vehicles.

It is expected to save 580 tons of fuel a year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,400 tons after being put into operation, delivering genuinely zero-emission, zero-pollution voyages, Ningbo-Zhoushan Port said.

Ningbo Ocean Shipping operates 32 green and energy-efficient vessels, accounting for 57 percent of its fleet, and 19 intelligent vessels, or about 34 percent, underscoring solid progress in its low-carbon and smart fleet upgrade.

The Ningyuan Diankun is one of the company's first two all-electric intelligent vessels. Its sister ship, the Ningyuan Dianpeng, is scheduled to begin trial voyages in May and be delivered in June. Once the company puts both vessels into operation, it will initiate scaled-up service on designated routes.

Beyond its green and low-carbon advantages, the Ningyuan Diankun has also achieved a milestone breakthrough in intelligent navigation.

The vessel is deeply integrated with an intelligent platform and smart engine-room system, and is equipped with core autonomous navigation technologies for open waters. It features a full suite of smart functions, including real-time panoramic vessel monitoring, all-weather visual perception, autonomous route planning, automatic collision-avoidance alerts, and seamless switching between manual and intelligent navigation modes.

The system can capture navigation environment data in real time, automatically calculate an optimal route, and proactively identify and avoid navigational risks, reducing the likelihood of human error at the source. The solution fills a domestic technological gap in the intelligent control of 10,000-ton all-electric seagoing vessels and offers a new benchmark for coastal smart shipping worldwide.

According to globaltimes.cn