China's first 2,000-tonne new energy bulk-container carrier under independent design and construction was handed over and officially put into operation on Monday in east China's Zhejiang Province.The ship, named "Dongxing-100", is 62.7 meters long, 12.4 meters wide and 4.1 meters deep, with a full-load displacement of 2,270 tonnes and a maximum cargo capacity of 1,800 tonnes.Equipped with two sets of lithium iron phosphate batteries, the ship features high sailing speed, zero carbon emissions, low noise, and an operating cost that is only one fifth of diesel-driven cargo ships of the same scale."The thermal efficiency of traditional ships powered by machinery is only about 30 percent. On the operating route from Changxing to Taicang, if there are 60 voyages per year, this ship can save 100,000 liters of fuel and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 260 tonnes every year. The operating cost of this ship is only one fifth of a traditional ship powered by machinery," said Ma Fan, researcher of the Donghu Laboratory in Hubei Province.According to statistics, there are 130,000 to 140,000 ships operating in China's inland river basins, while less than 100 are powered by new energy.The new energy ship is expected to contribute to the development of China's ecological and green shipping transportation as the country has been promoting the use of new energy ships for its inland waterway transportation system.