Japanese duo to develop container ship with exchangeable container battery system

Japanese coastal shipping company Imoto Lines and marine software firm Marindows have collaborated on developing a hybrid container ship capable of using exchangeable container batteries for propulsion.

PHOTO: Imoto Lines’ exchangeable container battery system equipped container ship concept. Marindows

The 200 TEU-capacity container vessel is expected to be delivered by 2027 and will initially undergo a trial run on the Kobe-Hiroshima route. It will be capable of completing the 180 mile (333 km) Kobe-Hiroshima voyage using batteries, Marindows claims.

The batteries will be charged using electricity from renewable sources and will be swapped at Kobe and Hiroshima. For longer voyages, the vessel will operate on a hybrid setup, combining a conventional engine with electric power.

The vessel will feature a 20-foot exchangeable container battery system along with onboard batteries and generators. A container battery system is a technology installed on container ships to store and provide electrical power, typically utilising rechargeable batteries housed within shipping containers.

Supported by the Japanese Ministry of Environment's FY2024 Carbon Neutral Technology Research and Development Programme, Miura Shipbuilding will construct the vessel.

By Tuhin Roy

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