An electric ferry that can carry 2,100 passengers and 225 vehicles began commercial service on the River Plate on Oct. 22, 2026 C.E. The China Zorrilla has no diesel or gas engines, and a battery above 40 megawatt-hours (MWh) powers its waterjets. Incat, in Tasmania, Australia, built it for Argentina’s Buquebus and calls it the world’s largest battery-electric ship.
At a glance
- Scale: The catamaran is about 426 feet long. Its battery holds roughly as much energy as more than 850 electric cars, Baird Maritime reported.
- Route: It sails 34 miles between Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Colonia, Uruguay. Charging takes about 40 minutes per one-way trip.
- Limit: Baird Maritime says the ship is practical only where plentiful renewable or nuclear power is available.
How the electric ferry works
The first paid crossing came a day after a launch ceremony in Buenos Aires, gCaptain reported. Eight electric waterjets move the ship at about 29 miles per hour. The batteries weigh more than 275 tons.
Dedicated chargers stand at both ends of the route. Each trip needs about 40 minutes of charging. Neither report says which country’s grid supplies the power.
The design first called for diesel and gas engines. Buquebus and Incat later chose full electric power.
Incat says that cut the ship’s weight. It also allowed smaller waterjets, which helps in river stretches only about 8 feet deep.
Passengers also get about 24,800 square feet of duty-free shops. Incat says the ride is quieter, with far less engine noise and vibration.
Why the size matters
Incat chairman Robert Clifford told gCaptain the ship “proves that large, high-capacity commercial vessels can operate on electric power.” New Atlas reported that earlier electric ferries ran shorter routes with smaller loads.
CleanTechnica’s Michael Barnard wrote that medium-sized electric ships carry batteries of about 3 to 5 MWh. That would make this battery roughly eight to 13 times larger. No source reviewed here names the previous record holder.
The idea is spreading beyond one ship. A study by Transport & Environment found that about 48% of new European ferries could run on batteries alone. It looked at ferries that call at fewer than 10 ports and checked charging limits.
Incat is also building three battery-electric ferries for Denmark’s Molslinjen, gCaptain reported. Those are the next test of the idea.
What limits the electric ferry
Clean power is the main condition. Uruguay made about 98% of its electricity from renewables in 2025, Noticias Ambientales reported, citing preliminary government data.
Argentina’s grid is more mixed, and CleanTechnica noted that it still burns some coal. Baird Maritime names Argentina, Scandinavia, Canada, and New Zealand as promising places for ships like this. It calls Australia and South-East Asia unlikely.
Emissions savings are not measured yet. Incat says the ship has no direct exhaust emissions during crossings. No source reviewed here gives energy use per trip, range, or a comparison with the diesel ferries it replaces.
Most details come from the builder and trade press. They do not come from independent testing.
Cost and long-term reliability are also unknown. This is one ship on one 34-mile route, so it is a proof of concept, not yet a track record.
Read more
For more on this story, see: gCaptain and Baird Maritime
For more from Good News for Humankind, see:
- Countries reach historic deal to cut shipping emissions
- 25% of new car sales in China were fully electric in 2023 for the first time ever
- The Good News for Humankind archive on climate progress
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