This week, China delivered the first car carrier equipped with a photovoltaic system for generating electricity to the South Korean company Korea Ocean Business Corporation (KOBC). The vessel, which can carry more than ten thousand vehicles at a time, is fitted with dual-fuel engines.
Although the new ship will be owned by KOBC, it will be operated by the logistics company Hyundai Glovis, which will charter it – the aim is to transport cars manufactured by the carmaker of the same name between Europe, Asia and the Americas. It is therefore possible that it will also carry cars manufactured in Czechia.
Until recently, China was unable to build its own large ships; instead, it relied mainly on vessels built in European shipyards. In recent years, however, it has focused intensively on this sector of the industry in order to exercise even greater control over international trade.
This ship is already the fourth vessel of this size to be delivered from China, but it is exceptional in that it is the first in its class to be fitted with a solar power system. According to the manufacturer, Guangzhou Shipyard International (GSI), the system can produce up to 200 kilowatts at peak output and, with 5.5 to seven hours of sunshine, generates approximately 1,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity per day. This energy helps to power the vessel, reduces fuel consumption and thus improves the energy efficiency of the entire vessel.
Two cargo ships collided in the Baltic Sea; at least one person has died (in Czech)
The vessel utilises a dual-fuel system that runs on both conventional heating oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG), and is also fitted with electric power cells that primarily power the on-board equipment. According to GSI, this combination makes it the most fuel-efficient vessel in its class.
The vessel was developed entirely in China; it was designed at the Shanghai Institute for Merchant Ship Design and Research and built at the GSI shipyards. It has already been approved by the classification societies Det Norske Veritas and the Korean Register, which means it can operate anywhere in the world.
The world’s largest aircraft carrier has been at sea for far too long. It will soon return to Crete, according to the newspaper (in Czech)
The ship is approximately 230 metres long, 40 metres wide and has a draught of 10.5 metres. It can travel at speeds of up to 19 knots, which is approximately 35 kilometres per hour. Its main source of energy is gas; the ship’s LNG tanks hold enough fuel for the entire voyage, so there is no need to refuel during long journeys.
It has fourteen vehicle decks, nine of which are fixed and five adjustable. This layout enables the ship to carry passenger cars, vans, heavy goods vehicles, trailers carrying freight containers and other large vehicles. In addition to vehicles, the ship can also carry certain packaged dangerous goods covered by the International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code. This means that companies using the ship will have a great deal of flexibility in utilising its space.
An article written by Tomáš Karlík (CT), initially published on 24 July 2026, 14:00 (CEST)