China launches world's first 2,000-ton electric boat

China is trial operating the world's first 2,000-metric-ton electric vessel in the southern city of Guangzhou.

Launched on Sunday in the city’s Nansha District, the boat is propelled by batteries and is seen as an alternative to address problems of inland vessels including high energy consumption, polluting emissions and noise, according to local media.

Built by Guangzhou Shipyard International, the vessel is 70.5 meters long, 13.9 meters wide and 4.5 meters in depth with a designed cargo capacity of 2,000 tons.

The world's first 2,000-metric-ton electric vessel was launched on Sunday in the southern city of Guangzhou.

It has a battery capacity of 2,400 kilowatt hours, equivalent to 30 to 50 electric automobiles, and takes 2.5 hours for a recharge. The ship can navigate at a speed of up to 12.8 kilometers per hour when fully loaded, and can travel up to 80 kilometers after a charge.

No exhaust emissions means none of the usual carbon, sulfur or PM2.5 pollutants.

The cargo ship will be used in the Nansha Development Zone after debugging, said Wu Zhulin, chairman of the investor – Guangzhou Development Group, adding that it is expected to be widely used in the Pearl River Basin market to help clean up inland waters and develop a green shipping industry.

(CGTN)