Incat launches world’s largest fully battery-powered ship “China Zorilla”

Australian shipbuilder Incat Tasmania on Friday (2 May) launched the world’s largest battery-electric ship, China Zorilla, constructed for South American ferry operator Buquebus, at its shipyard in Hobart, Tasmania. 

The ship is the ninth vessel Incat built for Buquebus. When it enters service between Buenos Aires and Uruguay, it will operate entirely on battery-electric power, carrying up to 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles across the River Plate.

“This is a historic day – not just for Incat, but for the future of maritime transport,” said Incat Chairman Robert Clifford. 

“We’ve been building world-leading vessels here in Tasmania for more than four decades, and Hull 096 is the most ambitious, most complex, and most important project we’ve ever delivered. This ship changes the game.”

Buquebus President Juan Carlos López Mena said the vessel was originally planned to run on LNG marine fuel and was reconfigured into a fully electric vessel. 

The ship is equipped with over 250 tonnes of batteries and an Energy Storage System (ESS) boasting more than 40 megawatt-hours of installed capacity. The ESS, which is four times larger than any previous maritime installation in the world, is connected to eight electric driven waterjets and supplied by technology partner Wärtsilä. 

At 130 metres in length, it is not only the largest electric ship in the world, but also the largest electric vehicle of its kind ever built – and one of the most significant single export items in Australia’s manufacturing history.

Photo credit: Incat Tasmania
Published: 6 May, 2025