The Meiwei Kaixuan cruise Photo: Screenshot of China News Service report

The Yangtze River's first solar-powered luxury cruise, Meiwei Kaixuan, departed from Chaotianmen Port in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality, marking a further progress of greener shipping along the river, China News Service (CNS) reported on Monday.

The construction of the cruise was launched in 2023 with an investment of around 200 million yuan ($28.03 million). The 149.99-meter-long, 21.8-meter-wide vessel has a maximum height of 17 meters and seven passenger decks, said the report. 

A representative from the builder of the cruise said that the cruise uses hybrid diesel-electric propulsion and is equipped with a 300 kilowatts solar photovoltaic system that converts sunlight directly into electricity.

The cruise also features innovative technologies such as DC networking, energy storage batteries and rooftop solar panels, reducing reliance on shore power and enabling low-noise navigation, offering passengers a smooth, quiet, and comfortable experience, the report noted. 

Another report by CNS on September 5 noted that new energy vessels in the main waterway of the Yangtze River are booming, heralding the accelerated arrival of a green shipping era. As of September 5, 2025, a total 132 new energy vessels have been built and put into operation in the Yangtze River from Southwest China's Sichuan Province to East China's Anhui Province. 

By 2025, shipyards in the region are projected to complete 406 new energy vessels, and over the next five years, there are intentions to build an additional 966 vessels, of which 75 percent will be LNG-powered, 20 percent electric-powered and 5 precent methanol-powered.

Global Times