CATL (Contemporary Amperex Technology Co.), the world’s largest battery maker with roughly a 38% global market share in electric vehicle (EV) batteries, stands out on the water, powering China’s largest fully electric tourist boat.
The Yujian 77, China’s first fully electric offshore tourist vessel for 358 passengers, is powered by CATL’s marine-grade batteries with a total capacity of 3,918 kWh. They provide the ship with a range of approximately 45 nautical miles, or around 100 km, powered by two 450 kW electric motors, allowing a top speed of 11 knots or 20 km/hour.
Much more power needed
That doesn’t sound very impressive compared to an electric car, but water is much denser and more resistant than air. Boats must push through or displace a lot of heavy liquid; they require more power relative to their speed to move compared to cars. Hydrodynamic drag on a boat increases roughly with the square of the speed.
These CATL marine-grade batteries are primarily based on lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP) chemistry, explicitly designed for maritime safety, longevity, and optimal performance. The systems incorporate advanced structural and thermal management technologies adapted to the harsher marine environment.
The battery packs are IP68 rated, meaning they are dustproof and waterproof, protected against continuous immersion in water from one meter to three meters, and secured by No Propagation (NP) technology, which prevents thermal runaway from spreading among battery cells.
The Yuijian 77 is a relatively compact ship, measuring 49 m by 14.5 m, 4.15 m high, and with a draft of 2.5 m. It was built by Fujian Funing Shipbuilding Heavy Industry, which creates a broad range of electric passenger vessels as well as offshore support and research vessels.
Equivalent to planting 20,000 trees
This ship is designed to offer day and night cruises for visitors, combining modern electric propulsion with a comfortable passenger experience along the coast of Fujian Province, China, particularly around cities such as Fuzhou and Xiamen.
It’s a zero-emission technology that reduces fuel consumption by nearly 250 tons annually, resulting in 400 tons fewer CO2 emissions. That’s the equivalent of planting over 20,000 trees, according to CATL.
It’s not the first, nor is it the largest vessel CATL has equipped with batteries. Still, it is one of the first to feature these versions of marine-grade batteries, which were introduced in December 2023 at Marintec China, one of the world’s leading maritime exhibitions held in Shanghai.
CATL earlier delivered the batteries for the Yangtze River Three Gorges 1, currently the world’s largest fully electric cruise vessel, purpose-built for river tourism on the Yangtze River.
That ship, which is over 100 meters long and 16.3 meters wide, features a 7,500 kWh marine battery pack, equivalent to the energy capacity of over 100 electric cars. It made its maiden voyage on March 29, 2022.
The world’s largest fully electric ship as of mid‑2025 is Incat Hull 096, now named China Zorrilla, a 130 m (426–430 ft) battery‑electric car‑passenger ferry built by Incat in Tasmania for Buquebus. It is 130 meters long and can carry 2,100 passengers and 225 cars.
That one was officially launched on May 2, 2025, and is powered exclusively by a massive battery system weighing over 250 tons, delivering 40 MWh of capacity to feed eight fully electric waterjets.
