8 hybrid-powered container ships on their way

By Yan Wanqin, Yichang International Communication Studio

Construction of eight newly developed hybrid-powered container ships began on March 21 at the Yichang Shipbuilding Industrial Park.

 

These 130-meter vessels, built by Zhijiang Jiangrui Shipbuilding for Minsheng Group, will be the first to be powered by both fuel and methanol. They can transport both containers and bulk cargos. The fleet, with a total price of 160 million yuan (US$22.1 million), is expected to be completed this year.

Minsheng Group, formerly known as Minsheng Industrial Co., Ltd., was founded in 1925 as the earliest shipping and logistics company by a private investor in China. It is now an important state-owned enterprise in Chongqing, providing comprehensive logistics services.

Zhijiang Jiangrui Shipbuilding settled in Zhijiang in 2010, in the Yichang Shipbuilding Industrial Park, one of Yichang's four shipbuilding bases. The park is home to nine shipbuilding companies.

The bulk carriers under construction have a displacement of 10,646.8 tons and can carry 8,980 tons of cargo. The maximum container capacity is 440 TEUs, with a cargo capacity of 6,819 tons.

These ships will be the first to use structural methanol fuel tanks. The double-walled pipes, which connect the gas valve train and the engine, have been changed from ventilated to nitrogen sealed to improve safety and reduce operational costs. Once completed, these ships will be the first container ships on the Yangtze River to carry mixed loads of extra wide and standard containers.

Previously, the park has launched demonstration vessels such as the Three Gorges Hydrogen Ship 1, the first hydrogen-powered ship, and the Huahang Xinneng 1, the first multi-purpose electric ship.