Tasmanian company Incat has launched the world’s largest all-electric catamaran river ferry. The battery pack alone will weigh 250 tonnes. Battery installation, systems and fitting out of the vessel will be completed later this year, with delivery to a customer in Argentina expected by the end of 2025.
Image source: Incat
The construction of the world’s largest all-electric vessel became known in January 2023, when the buyer decided to abandon the liquefied gas propulsion systems and replace them with electric drives powered by batteries. The battery capacity of the newly built catamaran China Zorrilla, based on the Hull 096 project, will be 40 MWh (China Zorrilla is the pseudonym of the Uruguayan actress after whom the catamaran was named, and has no relation to China).
The vessel will sail between Argentina and Uruguay and will accommodate 2,100 people and 226 cars. The ferry is 129.68 m long and 32.36 m wide. The electric motors will allow the ferry to reach speeds of up to 25 knots (with gas the speed would be higher – 37.5 knots).
Initially, it was planned to install diesel generators on the vessel and feed the catamaran’s water-jet engines from them, providing fuel tanks on board for this purpose. This decision was due to the fact that there were no charging stations along the route. They intended to equip the vessel with a battery later. It seems that the issue with recharging at anchor has been resolved, since the battery will be installed at the shipyard in Australia.
To charge the ferry’s batteries, retractable charging cables will be installed on both the port and starboard sides, which are planned to support a 30-40 minute fast charge as well as a long charge to top up overnight power.
«At 130 metres long, Hull 096 is not only the largest electric vessel in the world, it is also the largest electric vehicle of its kind ever built and one of the most significant exports in Australian manufacturing history,” the company said in a press release announcing the launch.
The vessel was ordered by the Argentine operator Buquebus. Subsequent vessels are also to be fully electric.