Australia's Incat Shipyard Launches World's Largest Battery-Powered Ship

by Ship & Bunker News Team
Friday May 2, 2025

Tasmania-based Incat Shipyard has launched the world’s largest battery-powered ship, China Zorrilla.

The vessel measures 130 m in length and is capable of carrying 2,100 passengers, Incat Shipyard said in a statement on its website on Friday.

It has been built for Buquebus, a ferry operator serving South America, and will operate between Argentina’s Buenos Aires and Uruguay, running entirely on electric power.

It is equipped with over 250 tonnes of batteries and an Energy Storage System (ESS) with more than 40 megawatt-hours of installed capacity—currently the largest of its kind in the maritime sector.

The ESS, supplied by Wärtsilä, powers eight electric waterjets, supporting fully electric, zero-emission operations.

The project marks a significant development in large-scale battery-electric ferry technology.

The vessel was originally planned to use LNG power before the design was changed to fully electric.

“Ferries play a vital role in meeting the growing demand for environmentally sustainable transport options, with ship electrification a key solution for enabling the sector to transition towards net-zero emissions,” Roger Holm, President of Wärtsilä Marine and Executive Vice President at Wärtsilä Corporation, said.

Ship & Bunker News Team
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