The construction of the world's largest ten-thousand-tonne-class electric transport ship has started in Yichang, central China’s Hubei Province, the China Three Gorges Corporation (CTG) said on Monday.
The ship, 129.9 meters in length, 22 meters in width and 7.7 meters in depth, has a design draft depth, the distance between the water's surface and the lowest point of the boat underwater, of 6.5 meters and can carry a maximum weight of 13,740 tons.
The ship will be equipped with 12 containerized lithium batteries, with total power output of 24,000 kWh. Looking like containers, the batteries can power the ship while meeting the daily electricity needs on board. Containerized batteries can be swapped out rapidly, which ensures quicker energy replenishment. With a range of up to 500 kilometers, the batteries can provide stable and reliable support for long-distance cargo transport.
The ship will be the first large vessel on inland waterways to use an autonomous navigation and control system, greatly improving the safety and efficiency of its voyage
Upon completion, the ship can save about 617.5 tons of fuel per year.
China starts building world’s largest electric transport ship
The death toll from a landfill collapse in the central Philippine city of Cebu has risen to eight by Monday morning as search and rescue operations continued for another 28 missing people.
The landfill collapse occurred on Thursday as dozens of sanitation workers were working at the site. The disaster has already caused injuries of 18 people.
Family members of the missing people said the rescue progress is slow, and the hope for the survival of their loved ones is fading.
"For me, maybe I’ve accepted the worst result already because the garbage is poisonous and yesterday, it was raining very hard the whole day. Maybe they’ve been poisoned. For us, alive or dead, I hope we can get their bodies out of the garbage rubble," said Maria Kareen Rubin, a family member of a victim.
Families have set up camps on high ground near the landfill, awaiting news of their relatives. Some people at the site said cries for help could still be heard hours after the landfill collapsed, but these voices gradually faded away.
Bienvenido Ranido, who lost his wife in the disaster, said he can't believe all that happened.
"After they gave my wife oxygen, my kids and I were expecting that she would be saved that night because she was still alive. But the night came and till the next morning, they didn't manage to save her," he said.
Death toll in central Philippine landfill collapse rises to eight
