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Reporter Wang Hui
On March 19, by the Grand Canal in Jining, Shandong, a pure electric container ship slowly slid into the water. The ship is 79.9 meters long, has a carrying capacity of 3,500 tons, and is equipped with four container-type batteries with a capacity of 1,959 kilowatt-hours each.
This is the first pure electric container ship for inland rivers in the country with an export order, built by Shandong Xineng Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as &#34;Xineng Shipbuilding&#34;) for the French shipping group CMA CGM. After delivery, it will be put into operation on a green shipping route from Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, to Cai Mep Port, with an annual transport capacity exceeding 50,000 TEUs and an annual carbon reduction of 778 tons.
CMA CGM is the world's third-largest container shipping company and has set a strategic goal of achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050 since 2022. This French company has chosen to manufacture in China, bringing Chinese inland new energy vessels into the global market spotlight.
Xineng Shipbuilding, which undertook this order, was established in 2022 and is a wholly-owned state-owned subsidiary of Shandong Ronghui Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as &#34;Shandong Ronghui Group&#34;), focusing on the research, design, and manufacturing of inland new energy vessels such as LNG, electric power, and hydrogen energy. Its parent company is a national leader in the large-scale, intelligent, and green manufacturing of inland new energy vessels.
In the view of Zhang Qiang, Secretary of the Party Branch and Chairman of Xineng Shipbuilding, the significance of this ship goes beyond a single product export. It not only taught Xineng Shipbuilding how to operate according to international rules but also drove hundreds of local equipment suppliers, such as those for shaft and rudder systems and anchor machines, to enter the global supply chain system for the first time. Through this project, core technologies such as containerized battery swapping, ship-electric separation, and intelligent cockpit have been solidified, forming a replicable standardized template. This means that the technology, standards, and models of Chinese inland new energy vessels are beginning to truly enter the global high-end market.
Solving the &#34;Creating Something from Nothing&#34; Challenge
The construction process of the 182TE pure electric container ship was not smooth sailing. Zhang Qiang recalled, &#34;The challenges were enormous and even all-encompassing. The specifications of the French classification society (BV) and the limitations of the complex inland waterways in Vietnam presented a new topic for the Chinese design team.&#34;
&#34;First, there was the challenge of creating something from nothing in design, as there were no existing experiences to follow, and we had to start from scratch, repeatedly overturning and redoing.&#34; Zhang Qiang stated that the shallow waters and winding channels of the Vietnamese inland rivers required the vessel to have a shallow draft and low resistance. However, CMA CGM's operational requirements demanded high load capacity and long endurance, meaning that within the limited length of 79.9 meters, it was necessary to scientifically arrange four sets of container-type batteries with a total capacity of nearly 8,000 kilowatt-hours while ensuring that the draft did not exceed the hard limit of 4.5 meters.
Secondly, there was the challenge of international certification of the supply chain. Zhang Qiang said, &#34;Domestic inland vessels have long followed the specifications of the China Classification Society, which differ from those of international classification societies like BV. This ship needs to comply with BV's international standards throughout the process, which means that not only the shipyard itself but also all equipment suppliers must obtain BV product certification
The reality is that many mature inland vessel equipment suppliers in China have production systems and certification experience that have long been oriented towards the domestic market, with almost no knowledge of the specifications and certification processes of international classification societies.
Zhang Qiang used a vivid metaphor: &#34;We not only need to build ships but also play the roles of 'mentor' and 'translator.' New Energy Shipbuilding needs to organize shipowners and classification societies to deeply engage with supplier manufacturers, overseeing and rectifying the entire process from bench testing to production processes, helping these local enterprises cross the threshold of international certification.&#34;
Even in the specific manufacturing phase, challenges still exist. Zhang Qiang introduced that the French side's strict requirements for quality and safety are reflected in every tiny detail. For example, in the manufacturing of rudder blades, due to the narrow internal space, traditional processes can only use spot welding, but this approach was firmly rejected by the French side, who believed it would threaten structural strength. The team had to work on-site with suppliers to urgently develop a completely new steel liner welding process, which was ultimately recognized.
&#34;This has been a thorough baptism and reshaping of the production management system for companies like ours that are accustomed to traditional inland shipbuilding models,&#34; Zhang Qiang stated.
In November 2024, CMA CGM signed a procurement letter of intent with New Energy Shipbuilding to order pure electric container ships. The 182 TEU pure electric container transport ship is scheduled to officially start construction on June 10, 2025, taking about 9 months from the start of construction to launch. The ship is planned to operate on a green route from Binh Duong Province, Vietnam, to Cai Mep Port, belonging to the inland-port short-distance transportation model.
The 182 TEU pure electric container transport ship has a total length of 79.9 meters, a beam of 15 meters, a designed draft of 4.1 meters, and a deadweight of 3,500 tons. The battery energy storage system (BESS) is provided by CATL, and the hull is equipped with four 1959 kWh replaceable container batteries. The annual transport volume exceeds 50,000 TEUs, and it is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 778 tons per year, providing solid support for CMA CGM's carbon neutrality goal by 2050.
Matthieu Courtois, the on-site manager for new shipbuilding in China at CMA CGM, stated that under the global green wave, CMA CGM is placing sustainable development at the core of its strategy. The choice of Chinese manufacturing is not only a market choice but also a recognition of China's inland new energy ship technology strength.
Zhang Guangyu, Secretary of the Party Committee and Chairman of Shandong Ronghui Group, introduced that New Energy Shipbuilding has won the trust of leading international enterprises with its core advantages of automation, intelligence, and greenness, which is a key breakthrough for the group's industrial transformation and expansion into overseas markets. Shandong Ronghui Group is accelerating the construction of an integrated new energy ship ecosystem of &#34;R&amp;D - manufacturing - operation,&#34; continuously leading the green upgrade of inland shipping.
Inland shipping is expected to trigger a &#34;battery swap revolution.&#34;
This pure electric container ship, which is about to set sail for Vietnam, is equipped with four 1959 kWh replaceable container batteries. &#34;This is the essence of the ship's design,&#34; Zhang Qiang stated.
The so-called &#34;ship-battery separation&#34; refers to borrowing the concept of &#34;vehicle-battery separation&#34; from electric vehicles, standardizing the battery as a replaceable unit that can be quickly hoisted and replaced at charging and swapping stations, making it as convenient for ships to swap batteries as it is for cars, solving the pain point of long charging times for pure electric vessels
&#34;The battery system is by no means a simple 'plug-and-play' solution, but rather a result of deep integration with the hull and navigation routes,&#34; Zhang Qiang introduced. To adapt to this replaceable system, New Energy Shipbuilding has conducted in-depth joint research and development with CATL, not only implementing targeted structural designs for the hull but also planning dedicated &#34;slots&#34; for the four &#34;energy units&#34; within limited space, while comprehensively considering weight distribution to optimize the ship's navigation balance and draft. Coupled with future charging and swapping stations along the route, this system can achieve a quick battery swap in 15 minutes and a range of 270 kilometers. Additionally, the ship has reserved photovoltaic interfaces, providing possibilities for future multi-energy complementarity.
Under traditional charging models, inland vessels rely on port charging piles, but the penetration rate of charging facilities in inland ports is relatively low, and different ports have inconsistent charging standards, requiring ships to connect to charging piles for extended periods after docking. Meanwhile, batteries account for about 30% of the total cost of the vessel, and the high initial investment poses a significant burden on small and medium-sized shipowners. The &#34;separation of ship and electricity&#34; model precisely addresses these pain points.
In Zhang Qiang's view, the core advantages of the separation of ship and electricity can be summarized in three aspects: &#34;saving money, saving time, and saving worry.&#34;
Taking the 182TEU pure electric container transport ship as an example: saving money means that shipowners do not have to bear the cost of batteries, reducing the initial investment by about 40%, and daily operations are billed by usage, unaffected by fluctuations in international fuel prices; saving time means that the battery swap model compresses the refueling time to 15 minutes, as inland transport emphasizes turnaround efficiency, completely avoiding the lengthy wait of 5 to 8 hours for shore-based charging; saving worry means that the box-type power supply is certified by the classification society, utilizing existing port berths for transformation and reusing the mature container logistics system to transport batteries, with infrastructure thresholds far lower than those required for LNG and hydrogen energy's dedicated pipelines.
Zhuang Zhanting, deputy general manager of CATL Electric Ship Technology Co., Ltd., introduced that the value of this ship goes far beyond the vessel itself; it connects Nike's green supply chain, CMA CGM's low-carbon shipping network, CATL's battery ecosystem, and New Energy Shipbuilding's intelligent manufacturing capabilities, forming a zero-carbon logistics closed loop from &#34;factory to port and then to the globe.&#34; This is not only a new logistics route but also an innovative practice path for a low-carbon supply chain.
The Ministry of Transport and five other departments issued the &#34;Opinions on Promoting High-Quality Development of Inland Waterway Transportation&#34; in 2025, clearly proposing to actively promote the application of technologies such as LNG and methanol power for medium to large, long-distance scenarios; and to accelerate the application of battery power technology for small to medium-sized, short-distance scenarios. This policy direction provides application space for the &#34;separation of ship and electricity&#34; model.
Zhang Qiang admitted that the &#34;separation of ship and electricity&#34; model is currently in a critical transition period from technical validation to large-scale commercial replication, and its large-scale popularity is mainly constrained by three bottlenecks: first, &#34;network density is insufficient,&#34; as the density and coverage of battery swap stations are not enough, leading shipowners to worry that they cannot travel far after purchasing the ship; second, &#34;standards are not unified,&#34; as the interfaces and communication protocols of box-type power supplies are inconsistent, limiting cross-regional intermodal efficiency; third, &#34;the model is yet to be established,&#34; as small and medium-sized shipowners need an adaptation period to accept the new business model, and the cooperation mechanisms for battery banks and third-party operations still need to be improved
The &#34;China Electric Ship Industry Development White Paper (2022)&#34; released by the research institution EVTank shows that by 2026, the market size of electric ships in China is expected to reach 36.75 billion yuan.
Zhang Qiang stated that in terms of pure electric power vessels for inland rivers, the current technical challenges mainly lie in balancing battery energy density and cost, the synchronous construction of charging and swapping infrastructure, and how to achieve more precise range optimization for different routes. The company is addressing these challenges through deep cooperation with CATL to iterate more efficient box power systems and &#34;ship-station-cloud&#34; collaborative solutions, preparing for a systematic layout in the global market

新能源

The first pure electric container ship in China's inland rivers was launched on March 19 in Jining, Shandong, built by New Energy Shipbuilding for the French shipping group CMA CGM. The ship is 79.9 meters long, has a deadweight of 3,500 tons, is equipped with 4 batteries, has an annual transport capacity of over 50,000 TEUs, and reduces carbon emissions by 778 tons per year. This project promotes the globalization of China's inland new energy vessels and facilitates local equipment suppliers' entry into the international market. New Energy Shipbuilding was established in 2022, focusing on the research and development and manufacturing of inland new energy vessels

China's inland pure electric vessels set sail for the first time