Hanwha Power secures ABS approval for 1,700-TEU electric containership

Hanwha Power has secured an Approval in Principle (AiP) from the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS) for a fully electric 1,700-TEU containership powered by a 151 MWh, or 151,000 kWh, Energy Storage System.

The certificate was presented on 22 October during the Maritime Hybrid, Electric & Hydrogen Fuel Cells Conference & Exhibition 2026 in Bergen, Norway. Jong-kyu Hwang, Hanwha Power’s vice president of technology solutions, attended the ceremony with senior ABS representatives.

The 151 MWh Energy Storage System would serve as the vessel’s primary propulsion source. Electricity stored in containerised battery units would drive the ship, and the batteries would charge through port infrastructure.

Hanwha Power said the containerised format would let the units be handled and stowed similarly to standard containers. The company said the arrangement should improve space utilisation, support flexible battery replacement and allow the system to scale with operational requirements.

Hanwha Power’s Jong-kyu Hwang said: “This AiP from ABS marks an important step in extending Hanwha Power’s marine technology capabilities to fully electric vessels powered by large-scale battery systems.”

What does the AiP actually approve?

An AiP confirms that ABS has reviewed the concept against applicable class requirements at an early design stage. It does not represent final approval for construction or operation. The 1,700-TEU proposal therefore remains a design rather than a vessel cleared to carry cargo.

Electric operation would depend on batteries charging through port infrastructure, making charging access part of the deployment plan. Hanwha Power says the concept targets short-sea and regional container transport, where access to port charging could support fully electric operation without direct carbon emissions from the vessel.

That claim applies specifically to direct emissions from the ship. The announcement does not quantify emissions from electricity generation or the cargo journey as a whole.

What changes for shippers, carriers and forwarders?

• Carriers: The 1,700-TEU design offers a defined emissions proposition for short-sea and regional container services. Its commercial value depends on charging access at the ports served, while no operating-cost figures accompany the design.
• Shippers: No sailing date, carrier, route or freight rate accompanies the 22 October AiP. Shippers have no committed capacity, transit-time change or cost saving from the project at this stage.
• Forwarders: Containerised battery units could make replacement and scaling easier to plan because Hanwha Power expects them to be handled and stowed similarly to standard containers. The announcement provides no port procedure, turnaround allowance or handling charge.
• Rates and capacity: The project adds no commercial TEU now. Neither the 1,700-TEU concept nor the separate 1,000-TEU design has final approval, a construction contract, a delivery date or an announced rate impact.

Commercially, this is a technology-development milestone rather than a capacity event. It changes no quoted freight rate, booking availability or deployed box count.

How far does the electric-vessel programme have to go?\n

Hanwha Power has also completed the basic design of a separate 1,000-TEU battery-powered containership. The company plans to develop a wider portfolio of electric vessels for different operating profiles and customer requirements.

That gives the company two disclosed container-ship designs: one at the 1,700-TEU AiP stage and another at the basic-design stage. The announcement names no shipowner or shipyard for either concept.

It also provides no vessel range, charging power, battery service life, operating cost, delivery date, route schedule or lifecycle-emissions calculation. Without those inputs, neither carriers nor shippers can test the commercial proposition.

Hwang added: “We will address the needs of the next-generation zero-carbon maritime transport market with integrated solutions that combine electric propulsion and containerised battery system technologies.”

The statement describes product ambition rather than measured operating performance. ABS’s early-stage class review does not resolve the questions of construction cost, port readiness or commercial deployment.

The near-term trajectory runs from a 1,700-TEU AiP and a completed 1,000-TEU basic design toward a wider electric-vessel portfolio; freight rates, available capacity and emissions impact will remain unresolved until final approval, construction and port-charging deployment are in place.