World’s Largest Fully Electric Smart Container Ship Sets Sail

The world’s largest and China’s first 10,000‑ton fully electric smart container vessel, Ningyuan Diankun, completed its first voyage on April 15, sailing from Ningbo–Zhoushan Port to Zhapu Port. With this voyage, the vessel officially entered commercial operation.

Developed by Ningbo Ocean Shipping Co., Ningyuan Diankun is 127.8 meters long, 21.6 meters wide, and has a carrying capacity of 742 TEUs. The fully electric smart container ship operates using 10 standardized battery containers, providing a total energy storage capacity of approximately 20,000 kilowatt‑hours, equivalent to the combined battery capacity of around 300 electric passenger vehicles.

According to officials at Ningbo–Zhoushan Port, the commissioning of the vessel is expected to save 580 tons of fuel annually and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by more than 1,400 tons per year.

Low‑Carbon and Smart Fleet Transformation

Ningyuan Diankun stands out as one of the first two fully electric smart vessels brought into service by Ningbo Ocean Shipping. Its sister ship, Ningyuan Dianpeng, is scheduled to begin trial voyages in May and to be delivered in June. Once both vessels are operational, they are expected to enter commercial service on designated routes at scale.

Beyond its green and low‑carbon design, Ningyuan Diankun is also regarded as a major milestone in smart navigation technologies. Integrated with a smart platform and an intelligent engine room system, the vessel is additionally equipped with foundational autonomous navigation technologies for open‑sea operations. As part of this integration, it features real‑time panoramic vessel monitoring, visual perception capabilities for all weather conditions, autonomous route planning, automatic collision‑avoidance alerts, and seamless switching between manual and intelligent navigation modes.

This intelligent system can collect relevant data in real time, automatically calculate optimal routes, and identify potential risks in advance, enabling the development of preventive maneuvers. As a result, risks arising from human error are expected to be significantly reduced.

Currently, Ningbo Ocean Shipping operates 32 environmentally friendly and energy‑efficient vessels, accounting for 57 percent of its total fleet. In addition, 19 smart vessels make up approximately 34 percent of the fleet. The company’s new vessel, Ningyuan Diankun, not only fills a critical technological gap in the intelligent control of 10,000‑ton fully electric seagoing vessels in China, but also sets a new global benchmark for smart shipping.

Source: Global Times