NEWS

The world's first all-electric battery-operated self-unloading vessel

Canadian shipping company CSL has announced that it will build and operate the world's first all-electric battery-operated self-unloading vessel in partnership with Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd.

Construction of the 11,000-tonne deadweight vessel, which has an optimized shape, will begin in 2024, with delivery expected in early 2026. Under a 20-year strategic partnership agreement, the new vessel will replace Adbri's Accolade II for the company's limestone operations in South Australia and will carry up to 2.7 million tons of limestone per year, a 35 percent increase in capacity over the existing vessel.

The vessel will initially utilize a hybrid diesel and battery system that will reduce Scope 1 emissions by 40 percent compared to the Accolade II by replacing 25 percent of the diesel fuel with electricity, and further reduce Scope 1 emissions to less than 10 percent by 2031, when the new vessel will run entirely on electricity.

By combining a diesel-electric hybrid propulsion system with an advanced battery unit, it is helping to advance the decarbonization of the shipping industry. Approximately 50 percent of the vessel's energy needs will be provided by a combination of shore power and battery storage, with plans to install enough batteries in the future to achieve 100 percent electric operation.