1,700-TEU Electric Container Ship With 151 MWh Battery System Wins ABS Approval

The South Korean company Hanwha Power has been granted Approval in Principle (AiP) by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for its concept of an electrically-powered container ship that has a 1,700 TEU capacity and 151 megawatt-hours (MWh) of energy storage system.

The vessel is designed for short-sea and regional container transportation. It will use containerised batteries and shore charging facilities to run the ship without any carbon emissions while sailing.

The design can be helpful in cutting down emissions in regional shipping; however, there has been no mention of the construction schedule or the vessel’s expected operating range.

Hanwha Power announced the grant of AiP on October 23. The certificate was handed to the company a day earlier at the 2026 Maritime Hybrid, Electric & Hydrogen Fuel Cells Conference & Exhibition that took place in Bergen, Norway from October 21 to 23 at Scandic Bergen City.

Jong-kyu Hwang, Vice President of Technology Solutions at Hanwha Power, attended the presentation alongside senior representatives from ABS.

The proposed container ship will have an energy storage system (ESS) of 151 MWh, with electric energy stored in containerised battery units serving as its primary propulsion source.

The batteries are designed to be handled and stowed like standard cargo containers. Hanwha Power said this arrangement would improve space efficiency, maximise cargo capacity and optimise the vessel’s overall performance.

The containerised system is also designed to allow flexible battery replacement and scalable operation. Charging infrastructure at ports would supply the electricity required to operate the vessel.

The company has not revealed any information about the ship’s service speed, operating range, charging time, and construction schedule.

ABS approval improves Hanwha Power’s ability to design fully electric vessels and diversifies its marine propulsion systems. The company intends to explore possibilities in the market for next-generation zero-emission marine transportation using electric propulsion and battery systems.

In addition to the 1,700-TEU design, the company has also completed the basic design of a 1,000-TEU battery-operated container vessel.

Hanwha Power plans to develop a wide range of electric propulsion vessels suited to different operating conditions and customer requirements.

Reference: Interesting Engineering