The world's largest 10,000-tonne all-electric intelligent container ship, the Ningyuan Dian Kun, on Wednesday set sail on its first-ever journey—from the Ningbo-Zhoushan Port to the Zhapu Port, both of which are in China.
This marks the ship's official foray into commercial operations. Developed by Jiangxi Jiangxin Shipbuilding, this vessel is also the first ship of its kind in China.
Measuring 127.8m in length and 21.6m in width, the green giant has a cargo capacity of 742 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a Global Times report said, citing a representative from the shipbuilder.
🇨🇳 Le Ning Yuan Dian Kun, plus grand porte-conteneurs tout-électrique au monde 10 000 tonnes, a appareillé hier du port de Ningbo-Zhoushan. 740 TEU, batteries de 19 000 kWh, zéro émission.
— Philippe Thubé (@PhilippeDoNancy) April 16, 2026
Une avancée majeure pour le transport maritime vert. pic.twitter.com/TUJt1cSdK9
It is powered by 10 standardised battery containers boasting a total capacity of about 20,000 kWh—enough to fully charge a Tesla Model 3, or another such electric vehicle, about 266 times.
It is expected to save about 580 tonnes of fuel every year and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,400 tonnes after going operational.
"This project is an important step in aligning with the shipping industry's broader green transition and proactively supporting the country's dual-carbon goals," the representative added in the report.
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Apart from being all-electric, the vessel comes with an intelligent platform embedded inside its systems, and a smart engine room.
These smart functions include autonomous navigation tech, real-time panoramic ship monitoring, weather tools, and collision alerts, among others.
Launched in September 2025 and trialled in February this year, the Ningyuan Dian Kun is also the first of two vessels that the shipbuilder was to deliver to Ningbo Ocean Shipping Co, which owns and manages the new vessels.
Coming soon after it will be the Ningyuan Dian Peng, which will undergo trials in May, and will be delivered a month later.
The two vessels are expected to become a major part of Ningbo Ocean Shipping's growing modernised fleet.
It already consists of 32 green and other energy-efficient vessels, which form about 57 per cent of the total vessels, and 19 intelligent vessels, which account for about 34 per cen of the total.
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