South Korea’s HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering (HD KSOE) and HD Hyundai Heavy Industries (HD HHI) have secured approval in principle (AiP) from classification society ABS for a groundbreaking 16,000 TEU electric-powered container ship design.
The AiP follows a full review of the vessel’s power system — including generation, conversion and propulsion motors — against ABS requirements.
With the first phase complete, HD Hyundai will move into phase two in 2026, focusing on large-scale energy storage and high-efficiency propulsion to push electric propulsion into deep-sea shipping.
While electric ferries and short-sea vessels are already in operation, no container ship of this scale has ever been designed for full-electric propulsion.
If carried forward, the concept could set a new benchmark in the race to deliver zero-carbon ocean-going tonnage.
