World’s largest electric container ship wraps up maiden voyage in Shanghai

COSCO Shipping Greenwater 01, the world's largest pure electric container ship, finished its maiden voyage at east China's Yangshan Port of Shanghai on Monday, and will start its regular weekly sails between major cities in the country's eastern coastal region.

The ship is 119.8 meters long and 23.6 meters wide, equivalent to the size of 10 standard basketball courts.

As required by travel needs, a certain number of battery boxes about the size of 20-foot standard containers can be loaded onto the ship to provide power, an effective solution to problems like long charging time and short travel range that often occur in conventional electric container ships.

"Each battery box can provide 1,600 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Six battery boxes make a set and one set is enough to power the sailing and daily operation of the ship. And power supplied by 24 battery boxes can meet the needs of a round trip of the ship, which often consumes about 80,000 kWh of electricity, equivalent to about 15 tons of oil cost for fuel-powered ship," said Wang Jun, captain of the COSCO Shipping Greenwater 01.

The ship, when sailing each 100 nautical miles, can save 3,900 kilograms of fuel, cutting carbon dioxide emissions by 12.4 metric tons.

After the ship was docked, law enforcement officers of the port's maritime safety agency rechecked its power battery packs, and the fire detection system and alarm system of the ship's battery compartment and provided targeted emergency response training to its crew members.

"The biggest difference in responding to a fire accident between lithium iron phosphate battery and that of a conventional one lies in that the former cannot be put down by carbon dioxide or water usually adopted by ordinary ships. It can only be extinguished by a special system of heptafluoropropane. For this fire extinguishing method, the most challenging part is to train the crew members so that they can detect the fire accident in the battery boxes in advance and take emergency responses as required. This is our major focus," said Zhang Lifu, one of the port's law enforcement officers.

World’s largest electric container ship wraps up maiden voyage in Shanghai

A French student from the School of Chinese Language and Literature at Beijing Foreign Studies University recently called for more educational exchanges between the two countries.

During an interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Bouaoud Elies shared his experience living and studying in China.

After graduating from the business school at Beijing Foreign Studies University, Elies decided to stay in the country. He said he continues to study Chinese to improve his competitiveness and explore the huge trade opportunities between the two countries.

"I mean I love it here. I don't want to go back to France. I would like to become the bridge between France and China. So, if I can do this, thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, the Silk Road, now the relations between France and China are very good. So, I think a lot of things will happen," he said.

Elies also said he hopes that more French students could visit China and develop a better understanding of the country.

France was the first major western country to establish full diplomatic ties with China, and the history of educational exchanges can be traced back more than a century and a half when China sent its students to France to study maritime affairs.

Since then, exchanges have deepened considerably.

"In China, we have established 14 French training centers. In France, we have established 19 Confucius Institutes. These institutions serve as bridges for mutual understanding and trust between the youth and people of the two countries, enhancing language and cultural connections," said Yang Dan, Director General of the Department of International Cooperation and Exchanges under the Ministry of Education.

French student calls for more educational exchanges with China