The "Yangtze River-Three Gorges Dam 1" cruise ship, fully powered by electric batteries with a capacity of 1,300 passengers, set off on its maiden voyage on Tuesday in Yichang City in central China's Hubei Province.

According to the China Three Gorges Cooperation, the 100-meter-long ship has 15 individual battery packs with a total capacity of 7,500 kilowatt-hour (kWh), the largest in a cruise ship, which roughly equals to that of more than 100 electric cars.

The ship can sail 100 kilometers at a speed of 16 km per hour.

A charger was also built at the ship's home port, which can fully charge the ship's battery in six hours with green electricity from a hydropower plant, according to Zhang Yu, a manager at the Three Gorges Electric Energy Co. Ltd., a Wuhan-based company that managed the building of the ship.

With green energy, the ship can save 530 tonnes of fuel annually, leading to a reduction in harmful gas of more than 1,600 tonnes every year.

The electric engine of the ship generates less vibration and noise, providing a better experience for the passengers.