Ningbo Ocean Shipping orders all-electric feeder vessels

Ningbo Ocean Shipping Co (NBOSCO) has signed for the construction of two battery-powered feeder boxships at Jiangxi Jiangxin Shipbuilding.

The Shanghai-listed subsidiary of Ningbo-Zhoushan Port Group has booked 740 teu ships, which will operate along the Chinese coast once delivered in 2026.

The newbuilds will be driven by two 875 KW permanent magnet propulsion motors reaching a maximum speed of 11.5 knots, powered by a total of ten box battery cells of about 19,000 KWh.

The 127.8-m-long vessels, developed and designed by the Shanghai Ship Research and Design Institute, will be among the largest pure-electric boxships, continuing China’s electric vessel developments.

Last year, China’s largest shipping line, COSCO, launched its series of 119.8-m-long 700 teu electric containerships powered by 36 portable container-sized batteries of more than 50,000 kWh and two 900 kW main propulsion engines for inland trade. This was followed by Shanghai’s move to build up to 20 pure electric 120 teu boxships that will operate on the Huangpu River and COSCO’s launch of the China Electric Vessel Innovation Alliance.