World’s Largest Battery-Electric Ship Arrives In Uruguay For Commissioning

The world’s largest battery-electric ship has arrived in Uruguay after travelling thousands of miles from Tasmania.

The vessel will now undergo testing before it starts operating between Uruguay and Argentina.

The 426-foot (130-metre) ferry, known as Hull 096, arrived at Nueva Palmira on Friday, September 11, aboard the heavy-lift ship MV Black Marlin. It was floated off the ship over the weekend.

The ferry will now be towed to Colonia del Sacramento, where it will go through commissioning and testing.

Hull 096 was built by Australian shipbuilder Incat for South American ferry operator Buquebus. It will carry passengers and vehicles between Colonia del Sacramento in Uruguay and Buenos Aires in Argentina.

The route across the Rio de la Plata is about 30 nautical miles and takes around one hour. The ferry is expected to make three crossings a day.

The vessel will operate under the name China Zorrilla, named after the late Uruguayan film and theatre actress who died in 2014.

Hull 096 can carry up to 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles. It is powered by more than 5,000 battery modules and has a battery capacity of 40 megawatt-hours (MWh).

The batteries can power the ferry for about 90 minutes. This gives it enough endurance for its planned one-hour crossing between Uruguay and Argentina.

Hull 096 left Tasmania in early August after a multi-day operation on Hobart’s River Derwent to load it onto the MV Black Marlin.

The loading operation was described as one of the most complex marine operations in Tasmania’s history.

The heavy-lift ship then carried the ferry past the northern tip of New Zealand, across the Pacific Ocean and around South America’s Cape Horn before reaching Uruguay.

After the arrival, Hull 096 was welcomed at a ceremony in Nueva Palmira. Incat called the arrival a significant milestone for the company.

The company also said the vessel was “a major step forward in the transition to cleaner, more sustainable maritime transport”.

Hull 096 is made from aluminium. Incat said the material helps reduce the vessel’s weight and improves the efficiency of its battery-electric propulsion system.

The ferry has eight electric waterjets. Its propulsion, handling, control systems and manoeuvrability were tested during harbour trials in Tasmania.

The vessel has a capacity of 40 MWh and can operate for about 90 minutes on its batteries.

Its capacity is four times that of any maritime vessel built before it, according to the information provided by Incat.

Buquebus first ordered the ferry in 2019. Construction was later paused during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The vessel was then redesigned from diesel propulsion to a fully electric system.

Hull 096 was launched into Tasmania’s River Derwent in May 2025. It later went through testing and commissioning before being prepared for its journey to South America.

Incat Chairman Robert Clifford thanked the people who worked on the project.

References: interestingengineering, abc