COSCO orders electric containerships for river shipping

Chinese shipping giant COSCO Shipping has ordered two fully-electric 700-TEU containerships for Yangtze River transport.

The vessels will be chartered to its subsidiary Pan Asia Shipping and primarily sail between Wuhan and Shanghai. Their batteries will be recharged in Wuhan, Nanjing and other locations along the Yangtze River.

COSCO says these electric vessels form part of its “green development” strategy and supports the Chinese Communist Party Central Committee’s “carbon peaking and carbon neutrality” ambitions.