China Zorrilla, described by gCaptain as the world’s largest battery-electric ship, began commercial operations on October 22 with a crossing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, to Colonia, Uruguay. Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania built the 130-metre high-speed catamaran for ferry operator Buquebus, with capacity for up to 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles on the River Plate route.
The ferry was initially designed with dual-fuel engines able to burn diesel and liquefied natural gas. Its conversion during construction to an entirely battery-powered design required substantial engineering changes, according to gCaptain. The completed vessel operates without conventional marine engines, replacing the originally planned fuel-burning propulsion system with electric power.
An energy storage system with capacity exceeding 40 megawatt-hours supplies eight electrically powered waterjets. The battery installation weighs more than 250 tonnes. Dedicated high-power charging equipment at terminals on both sides of the river enables recharging between sailings, supporting the ferry’s operation on its fixed cross-river route.
The first commercial sailing followed an inauguration in Buenos Aires on October 21. Attendees included Incat managing director Craig Clifford, representatives of Buquebus, and maritime authorities and government officials from Argentina and Uruguay. Incat chairman Robert Clifford credited hundreds of employees at the company’s Hobart yard with resolving the engineering challenges involved, presenting the project as evidence that large commercial vessels with substantial carrying capacity can use electric propulsion.
According to gCaptain, the absence of conventional diesel engines reduces machinery noise and vibration, while the ferry produces no direct exhaust emissions during crossings. Craig Clifford, who travelled on the maiden commercial voyage, said the usual engine noise and vibration associated with a vessel of that size were largely absent. Passenger facilities include about 2,300 square metres of duty-free retail space.
The delivery also forms part of Incat’s wider move into electric vessel construction. The shipbuilder is building three 129-metre battery-electric ferries for Danish operator Molslinjen, alongside two 78-metre hybrid-electric vessels at its Hobart facility.