On December 29, 2025, Ningde Times Electric Boat Technology Co., Ltd. (CATL) and Jining Energy Development Group held a signing ceremony for pure electric cargo ship orders and a batch delivery ceremony in Jining. During the ceremony, the first five 67.6-meter pure electric cargo ships jointly developed by the two parties were successfully launched. Simultaneously, both parties completed the batch signing for 50 ships.
As the main ship built by Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding, a subsidiary of Jining Energy, the 67.6-meter pure electric multi-purpose ship was independently developed and designed by Shandong Xinneng Shipbuilding in collaboration with Wuhan University of Technology.
Classed by the China Classification Society (CCS), the vessel is 67.6 meters long and 12.66 meters wide, has a deadweight tonnage of nearly 2,000 tons, a range of 230 kilometers on a full charge, and can replace approximately 200 tons of fuel oil annually. It is understood that the 67.6-meter pure electric multi-purpose vessel delivered this time innovatively applies a “ship-battery separation” business model and containerized battery swapping technology. With a single-vehicle cargo capacity of 2,000 tons, a single battery swap can meet core transportation needs, achieving zero emissions and low-noise operation throughout the entire process.
It is understood that all 55 electric cargo ships signed in this agreement will be deployed on the Beijing-Hangzhou Canal, covering the core logistics corridor from the Yangtze River Delta to North China. Each vessel is projected to exceed an annual transport capacity of 500,000 tons. With the deployment of this world’s largest zero-carbon inland waterway fleet, CATL’s product portfolio in the electric vessel sector now comprehensively covers various vessel types including cargo ships, cruise ships, government vessels, research vessels, and workboats. Its operational scope spans diverse waterways such as inland rivers, lakes and coastal areas.
CATL entered the electric ship sector in 2017 and launched its first pilot ship the following year. After eight years of technological iteration and market validation, the company has now transitioned from technical verification to large-scale commercial deployment. By 2025, CATL had achieved the safe operation of over 900 electric ships. With the recent launch of five ships and the signing of contracts for 50 more, CATL will officially become the first company in the marine sector to surpass the milestone of 1,000 electric ships.
The launch of the world’s first large-scale, fully integrated fleet of pure electric cargo ships marks a systematic breakthrough for CATL’s “All-Domain Incremental Growth” strategy in the maritime transportation sector. This milestone will propel electric cargo ships from the “technology validation and demonstration” phase into a new era of “large-scale commercial operation.”