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CATL Expects Oceangoing Battery-Electric Vessels Within Three Years

CATL
A small battery-powered container vessel for inland and coastwise trade (Image courtesy CATL)

Published Dec 8, 2025 8:17 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Leading battery-maker CATL is already big in the business of electric vessels, thanks to burgeoning interest from China's domestic operators, and it believes that the market is only going to get bigger. At Marintec last week, the head of the company's marine division predicted that ocean-going electric vessels will be plying the seas within three years - defying green-fuel technologists who say that battery-electric designs lack the power density needed for transoceanic voyages.

CATL makes more lithium-ion batteries than anyone else, and its cells are found in about 40 percent of the world's electric cars, notably within China. Within its marine business, it provided the powerpack for the large river cruise ship Yangtze River Three Gorges 1, which required 10,000 cells and had more energy storage than any other vessel at the time of its construction. 

In addition to its past success and oceangoing ambitions, CATL has announced plans to capture new markets with a portfolio of shore-charging systems and onboard power-management systems to complement its battery packs. The decision could create significant new competition for European systems integrators overnight - if CATL's complete solutions can gain more traction outside of its home market. 

CATL shipbuilding exec Zhuang Zhanting told Chinese tech outlet Futu Niu Niu that the integrated solution targets friction points in the process of adopting battery-electric power. Recharging infrastructure challenges, battery cost, safety concerns, battery durability, and subsidy levels can all be deterrent factors for owners. With a "ship-shore-cloud" service model, CATL wants to provide end-to-end electrification: shoreside charging systems, long-lifespan batteries, and cloud-enabled safety management. For inland cargo vessels, it offers a containerized powerpack system to enable rapid battery-swapping, without waiting for onboard charging. 

"Shipping decarbonization is the next certain trillion-dollar industry. The ship sector will systematically expand CATL’s market boundaries from land to water, and is an important part of CATL’s innovative growth curve," CATL Shipbuilding general manager Su Yiyi told NBD at Marintec.