Wah Kwong NatPower Holdings and Chu Kong Shipping Enterprises (Group) have signed a memorandum of understanding focused on the electrification of waterborne transport between Hong Kong and Guangdong.
The agreement includes cooperation on electric-vessel deployment, charging and battery-swapping infrastructure, and related maritime electrification infrastructure. The companies said they would also examine policy, operational and technical issues linked to cross-border electric shipping.
Under the MoU, the two groups will explore electric-vessel construction, terminal charging networks and battery-swapping systems serving Guangdong-Hong Kong routes. Both parties said they would share industry information and jointly study policy and technical developments linked to maritime electrification.
Wah Kwong NatPower, backed by Wah Kwong Maritime Transport and NatPower Marine, develops clean-energy and shore-power infrastructure projects. Chu Kong Shipping Enterprises, part of Guangdong Provincial Port & Shipping Group, operates passenger and cargo services across the Pearl River Delta and Hong Kong.
The companies said the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area is expanding shoreside charging infrastructure and promoting greater standardisation of charging and battery-swapping systems. According to the companies, ‘this coordinated approach is critical to enabling seamless cross-regional operations and overcoming key energy replenishment challenges’.
Vincent Ni, general manager of Wah Kwong NatPower, said ‘water transport electrification is a systemic endeavour that requires close coordination across the entire value chain’.
The agreement comes amid wider efforts in China’s inland shipping sector to develop electric-vessel and charging-infrastructure projects aimed at reducing emissions from domestic transport networks.
Battery-electric propulsion has mainly been deployed in short-distance shipping segments, including inland waterways, ferries and harbour operations, where vessels can operate within more predictable charging cycles.
The companies said they would establish a joint working group to identify priority projects and develop a framework for future cooperation. No vessel orders or infrastructure investments were announced as part of the agreement.
