Incat launches fully battery-powered vessel

Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania recently unveiled a fully battery-powered vessel.

IMAGE: Buquebus’ battery-powered vessel China Zorrilla. Incat Tasmania

The vessel China Zorrilla, which can transport up to 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles, is equipped with 250 mt of batteries and an energy storage system (ESS) with over 140 megawatt-hours (MWh) of installed capacity.

Finnish engine manufacturer Wärtsilä supplied the ESS, which powers eight electric water jets, enabling fully electric operations.

This marks a significant development in large-scale battery-electric technology for vessel propulsion.

The vessel is “not only the largest electric ship in the world, but also the largest electric vehicle of its kind ever built,” Incat Tasmania claims.

It has been built for Uruguayan ferry company Buquebus and will operate between Argentina’s Buenos Aires and Uruguay’s Colonia del Sacramento.

It is expected to be operational by the fourth quarter of this year.

By Tuhin Roy

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