Asia/Pacific News
Yangtze River's First Battery Powered Cruise Vessel Will be in Operation this Year
The first battery-powered, all electric cruise vessel to be deployed on the Yangtze River in China will be in operation this year, according to local media reports.
Developer China Shipbuilding Industry Corporation says the 300 passenger vessel will be accompanied with charging infrastructure along the river.
The vessel will have zero direct emissions, a range of 120 km, and take six hours to charge.
After Norway last month set said it will create the world's first zero emissions control area (ZECA), the move is the latest example of how a wider shift to zero direct emissions vessels is already underway.
Whether such vessels also have zero lifecycle emissions is dependant on how the electricity used to charge them is generated.
The International Maritime Organization (IMO) in May said is is a matter of urgency to phase out GHG emissions from international shipping "as soon as possible in this century."
