Image Credits: INCAT World’s largest battery-electric ship, the China Zorrila, also known as Hull 096, was recently loaded onboard the semi-submersible heavy lift ship Black Marlin for its trip to South America. The complex maritime operation was completed on the River Derwent, where Black Marlin was ballasted below the waterline before Hull 096 was placed into position over the submerged deck. The loading represents years of planning, engineering and hard work and is a major milestone for a project which attracted worldwide attention by redefining sustainable shipping. Incat Chairman Robert Clifford said, “This is an extraordinary moment, not just for Incat, but for the future of sustainable maritime transport.” He also added that Hull 096 shows that the future of high-speed, large-capacity ferry transport is not far. Clifford added that the company is proud that the vessel was designed and constructed in Tasmania and that it would soon sail on one of the world’s busiest ferry routes. After reaching South America, it would be offloaded and then commissioned to enter into service with Buquebus. Incat Hull 096 is 130 metres long and can accommodate around 2100 passengers and 225 cars. It boasts a 41.2 MWh energy storage system which uses over 250 tonnes of lithium-ion batteries. For charging, it uses a dual 8MW DC charging setup and has eight 2,400 kW electric motors. The propulsion system consists of eight Wärtsilä WXJ 1100 waterjets. The world’s largest battery-electric ferry can attain a speed of 25 knots and a battery range and endurance of 90 minutes of continuous operations per charge.