The world's largest battery-electric ship entered commercial service.
A 130-metre electric ferry is now carrying passengers and vehicles across the Río de la Plata.
The largest battery-electric ship yet built has moved from shipyard milestone to everyday transport. Buquebus' 130-metre China Zorrilla is now serving the Río de la Plata route between Buenos Aires and Colonia with room for up to 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles.
WHAT HAPPENED
Australian builder Incat announced on 26 October 2026 that Hull 096, named China Zorrilla, entered commercial service. Its electric plant stores 41.2 MWh, supplies eight waterjets through eight motors and is designed for service speeds up to 25 knots. The ferry joins two cities across the Río de la Plata without diesel propulsion during operation.
WHY THIS IS HOPESLOP
This is the useful kind of climate milestone: not a prototype on a stage, but a very large public-transport machine carrying real passengers. One vessel does not decarbonize shipping, and its full benefit depends on charging electricity, utilization and battery lifecycle. But commercial service proves that battery power has crossed into a scale once reserved for fossil fuel.
ORIGINAL SOURCEIncat TasmaniaRead the original report
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