• China launched world’s first fully electric cargo ship in Guangzhou, capital city of Guangdong province. 
• It is the first ship in the world to use lithium ion battery. 
• The ship will be mainly used to run in inland section of Pearl River for carrying coal for generation of electric power.

More about the Ship

• The 70.5-metre-long ship, which weighs about 600 tonnes, was launched in Guangzhou in South China’s Guangdong Province.
• The vessel, manufactured by the Guangzhou Shipyard International Company Ltd, is powered by a 26-tonne lithium battery. It can cruise at the top speed of 12.8 km per hour.
• As the ship do not use fossil fuels, it has zero emission, including carbon, sulphur and PM2.5 and it could be used as a passenger liner or a working ship, state-run Global Times reported.
• On its inaugural run, the vessel was loaded with thermal coal mainly for areas around the Pearl River in Guangdong Province.