Australia: The CSL Group and Abri have commenced operations of MV Yampu, which they say is the world’s first battery-powered self-unloading bulk carrier. The vessel is 125m long and will transport limestone from Adbri’s Klein Point quarry in South Australia to the company’s Birkenhead plant in Adelaide, a distance of 68km by ship or 240km by road. This will help secure a critical raw material for the supply of locally manufactured cement. The vessel’s batteries are recharged while docked at Adbri’s Birkenhead plant, allowing MV Yampu to operate on battery power around 40% of the time. The vessel is expected to reduce diesel consumption by more than half a million litres per year compared to the vessel it has replaced. It has a capacity of 11,900t and can transport 1.7Mt/yr of limestone. It is designed to operate on 100% battery power in the future.
Battery-powered bulk carrier operations begin in Australia
