Electric ship market will usher in a period of rapid development.

By Weng Yubo

Weng YuboMinister of science and technology and supporting department of China shipbuilding industry economy and Market Research Center

Judging from the pure electric ships and dieselelectric hybrid ships and according to statistics,most electric ships in the world are diesel-electric hybrid ships at present, accounting for more than 80%of the total shipment volume while pure electric ships account for a lower proportion.

Power battery technology and cost are the main obstacles restricting the large-scale application of electric ships.In recent years, thanks to the rapid development of related technologies, as well as the reduction of battery prices, coupled with the improvement of environmental protection requirements, attention on and application of electric ships have become prevalent. At present, there are 127 electric ships in operation and order worldwide,of which 53 are in operation and 74 are planned to be built. At present, the electric ship market mainly presents the following characteristics:

Firstly, over the past ten years, the volume of electric ship delivery has increased signif i cantly.

Since 2008, with the continuous implementation of new regulations on ship emission by EU, IMO and other organizations, as well as the maturity of ship batteries and hybrid power technology, the market recognition of electric ships has been continuously improved, and the shipment volume has increased signif i cantly. According to the existing ship delivery statistics, before 2008, there are only sporadic electric ship delivery in the world, and after 2008, electric ships has been delivered every year,and the number of delivery is on the rise. According to the existing order statistics, it is estimated that from 2018 to 2019, the global electric ship will usher in an outbreak of delivery, 27 ships are expected to deliver in 2018 and 31 ships in 2019, which will exceed the total number of ships in operation globally. And more orders are expected after 2020.

Secondly, the main type is car ferry.

Judging from the perspective of the application of electric ships, at present, electric ships are mainly carpassenger ferry and passenger ships, including to some extent some marine engineering ships. Car-passenger ferry is an important type of electric ship because of its fixed route and densely populated harbor area, which has a great impact on the local environment. According to statistics, there are 18 passenger ferries in operation in the world, accounting for 34% of the total number of electric ships; 42 hand-held orders, accounting for 57%of the total number of hand-held orders. Due to the great changes in operating conditions, marine engineering vessels can make full use of the advantages of dieselelectric hybrid technology, so it has a certain application.From the tonnage point of view, the existing electric ships are mainly small and medium-sized ships under 5000 tons, but the scope of application has expanded to cruise ships of 30,000 tons.

Thirdly, construction and operation markets are mainly in Europe.

Judging from the current market, the construction and operation markets are mainly concentrated in Europe.Europe is the main market for the operation and construction of electric ships because of its environmental awareness, regulations and technology. Judging from operation market, Norwegian shipowners, such as Fjord1,Norled and Torghatten Nord, have the highest market share in the operation market, and Fjord1 has the highest market share among them. In terms of the construction market, Havyard Leirvik Shipyard in Norway, Tersan and Cemre Shipyard in Turkey, of which Havyard Leirvik is the largest and its market share reached 13%.Green environmental protection is the eternal theme of development of ships. At present, Europe has entered a period of rapid development in the fi eld of electric ships because of its advantages in concept and technology.In recent years, China has also paid more attention to environmental protection, putting forward new requirements for marine diesel exhaust emissions. In July 2018, the State Council promulgated the "Threeyear Action Plan for Winning the Blue Sky Defense" and proposed to upgrade the emission standards of marine diesel engines and expand the emission control zones.The Ministry of Transport also issued the "Adjustment Scheme for Ship Emission Control Zones (Draft for Consultation)", which calls for expanding the scope of emission control zones and gradually raising the emission standards. .

In the coming years, China's electric ship market will usher in a rapid development period. At present, the fi eld of electric ship application is mainly in the following aspects. The fi rst is the ferry and sightseeing boat along coastal cities and the Yangtze River. At present, China has a large number of ferries, and in Shanghai and Guangzhou, there are more than 100 inland passenger ships. With the phasing-out and renewal of inland river ships, it is possible to use electric ships instead. The second is inland cargo vessels. The Yangtze River and the Pearl River are the two most busy river systems in China.There are more than 100,000 inland cargo ships, which will enter the renewal cycle soon. Under the influence of the new environmental regulations, some ships need to be upgraded to electric ships. The third is the port tug market. China has the busiest port in the world with more than 300 tugboats in the harbor. The tugboats are more suitable to be electric ships due to variable working conditions.