VESSEL REVIEW | Changjiang Sanxia 1 – Battery-powered 1,300-pax tour boat for Yangtze River sailings

A new large sightseeing vessel has begun operational sailings along China's famed Yangtze River.

Named Changjiang Sanxia 1 ("Three Gorges 1"), the vessel has an LOA of 100 metres, a beam of 16.8 metres, a depth of four metres, capacity for 1,300 passengers across four decks, and a CATL large-capacity battery pack with an output of 7.5 MWh, equivalent to the total output of 100 standard electric vehicles. The battery pack supplies power to all onboard systems as well as the vessel's azimuthing rudder propeller. Charging can be done in as little as six hours via either high-voltage or low-voltage mode, and a fully charged battery will enable the vessel to sail up to 100 kilometres at a speed of 11.8 knots.

The battery pack consists of more than 10,000 high-safety lithium iron phosphate cells. Each cell is equipped with a temperature sensor and a high temperature alarm. The main batteries and a backup battery are housed in four separate compartments.

To help ensure operating efficiency, monitoring and management of the battery and all connected systems are done via a cloud-based system accessed by the crew and an operator at a shore-based control station. An intelligent energy efficiency management system assesses the vessel's energy efficiency and navigation status and enables both embarked and shoreside operators to monitor energy- and navigation-related data in real-time and to make adjustments when needed.

The onboard spaces can be utilised for a broad range of private activities such as business meetings, product launches, and even live entertainment. The interiors are kept cool thanks to a DC variable frequency central air conditioning system, which helps ensure energy savings of as much as 30 per cent compared to traditional AC units used in marine transport.

Changjiang Sanxia 1 was built and is being operated jointly by the China Three Gorges Group, via subsidiary China Yangtze Power, and the Hubei Three Gorges Tourism Group. The vessel's regular sailings will take it across the Yangtze including the reservoir areas of the famed Three Gorges Dam and the Gezhouba Dam to and from its homeport at the Three Gorges Tourist Centre Wharf in Yichang City. China Classification Society (CCS), which classed the newbuild, said the battery propulsion will help the operators reduce GHG emissions by as much as 1,660 tonnes each year.

The development of Changjiang Sanxia 1 was done as a scientific research project of the Chinese Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. One of the project's objectives is the development of newbuild inland vessels powered by environment-friendly technologies.

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