SYDNEY: An Australian boatbuilder launched what it described as the world’s largest electric-powered ship on Friday, a 130-metre (426-feet) behemoth capable of carrying 2,100 passengers. Identified by boatbuilder Incat as Hull 096, the aluminum catamaran is powered by more than 250 tons of batteries and was built for South American ferry operator Buquebus. It was designed to carry passengers and up to 225 vehicles across the River Plate between Buenos Aires and Uruguay.

“Hull 096 proves that large-scale, low-emission transport solutions are not only possible, they are ready now,” Incat CEO Stephen Casey said in a statement after the launch on Hobart’s Derwent River in the island state of Tasmania. Shipping accounts for nearly three percent of global greenhouse gas emissions that are blamed for global warming, according to the United Nations’ shipping body the International Maritime Organization.

IMO member states voted last month in favor of a global pricing system to help curb maritime carbon emissions, with all ships to be required to use a less carbon-intensive fuel mix by 2028 or face financial penalties. Environmental lobby groups however fear that a switch to biofuels has problems of its own, such as deforestation, and does not go far enough in addressing maritime emissions.

Hull 096’s batteries and Energy Storage System (ESS) will provide more than 40 megawatt hours of installed capacity, Incat said. The ESS was built by Finnish engine maker Wartsila and is connected to eight electric-driven waterjets. “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,” Wartsila Marine President Roger Holm said in the same statement.

The ship was originally named China Zorilla and was planned to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG) before it was reconfigured to battery power. — AFP