Canadian shipping company Canada Steam Ship Lines (CSL) has entered into a 20-year strategic partnership with Adelaide Brighton Cement Ltd. (Adbri) to build and operate what has been described as the ‘world’s first fully electric battery-capable self-unloading vessel’.

The custom-designed ship is intended to replace Adbri’s Accolade II and support the company’s limestone operations in South Australia with a focus on enhanced efficiency and environmental responsibility. The ship will carry up to 2.7 million tonnes of limestone per year, which represents a 35% increase over the existing vessel’s carrying capacity.

“Developed in line with CSL and Adbri’s shared decarbonization vision, this groundbreaking vessel will initially run on a hybrid diesel and battery system, replacing 25% of diesel with electric power and lowering Scope 1 emissions by 40% compared to Accolade II,” explains Louis Martel, CSL President and CEO. “By 2031, we aim to run the ship entirely on electric power, further reducing Scope 1 emissions to less than 10%.”