This is exactly what happened when COSCO SHIPING Lines' Yuan Jiang Kou ferry ship tied up in Piraeus, carrying 155 new electric buses, of which 125 destined for Greece have already completed customs clearance and are preparing to join the fleet of OSY.
The ship: one «green» giant from China
The Yuan Jiang Kou It's not an ordinary cargo ship. It is about 200 meters long, 38 metres wide, and a capacity of 7,000 vehicles. It has 12 decks in total, of which 4 are liftable, allowing the transport of not only passenger cars but also trucks, buses and heavy machinery. For its movement it uses liquefied natural gas (LNG), a technology that significantly reduces the carbon footprint compared to conventional fuels.
Belongs to the new generation «green» COSCO vehicles, designed to meet increased global demand for the transport of electric vehicles and new energy vehicles. The sister ship of the same series, Yuan Hai Kou, who visited Piraeus earlier in 2025 for his maiden voyage, is characterized as the largest ship in the world moving with a combination of photovoltaic energy and LNG. The photovoltaic frames of LONGI bearing can deliver a maximum power of 302.8 kilowatts, while the use of LNG reduces fuel consumption by 20% and CO2 emissions by at least 27%, while reducing the levels of nitrogen oxides, sulphur and fine particles.
As a standard of sustainable shipping, the ship also incorporates access to land stream (shore power), while even carrying intelligent vegetable growing containers for the crew— a detail that shows how seriously COSCO faces the idea of sustainability at every level. The ship is 199.9 metres long, 38 meters wide and 18.8 meters deep with a total capacity of over 68,000 kronors.
COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers, responsible for this fleet, is said to have and operate a fleet of over 160 specialized ships, with particular emphasis on LNG as a clean fuel. The line serving Piraeus directly connects China to the Mediterranean, in regular routing that highlights the strategic importance of our port for the Chinese company.
Yutong E12 that changes Athens
The cargo landed was not just «Chinese buses»It was the Yutong E12, a purely electric urban zero-emission bus 12.17 meters long, which has been on the streets of Northern Europe for almost eight years and has already proved its value in climates much harder than Athenian.
It is equipped with an electric motor of a permanent efficiency magnet of 288 horsepower and a torque of 1,200 Nm, powered by a lithium ion battery of 374 kWh. The battery can be charged in just 3.5 hours with 150 kW power or 7 hours with 60 kW power, ensuring the vehicle autonomy up to 370 km without air conditioning and 290 with air conditioning.
Each bus hosts 35 seated and 40 standing passengers, while nominal autonomy stands at 206.6 km. at a maximum speed of 80 km/h. Inside the living room, passengers will find LED lighting, USB positions for charging cell phones, full electric air conditioning, and full absence of engine noise and vibration.
Security is a chapter in itself with battery packs are equipped with anti-explosive type valves and armored covers, while there is a fire detection system with automatic activation of dry powder firefighting at high voltage points. The batteries are placed in special protective cages with nitrogen protection system and thermal retardant material. Additional aids for the driver include a starting aid system on uphill, front collision avoidance cameras and lane change warning.
The big change for Athens
These 125 buses are a continuation of an initial tender by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Transport that resulted in the supply of 250 electric buses and 300 other natural gas, compared to 51,627.963,75 € more VAT, financed by the Recovery Fund.
Yutong E12 have already begun to replace the historic trolleybuses in Piraeus, with lines 17 and 20 now running exclusively by electric buses— the end of an era and the beginning of another, quieter.
The bus reception in Piraeus was attended by Deputy Minister of Transport Konstantinos Kyranakis, the Secretary-General of Transportation Stelios Sakaresios, the CEO of OSY Stefanos Ayasoglou and the Deputy CEO of PPA Angelos Karakostas.
Yutong Bus Co. is the company with most electric bus classifications in Europe. And now her vehicles fill the Athenian buses — charged, literally and metaphorically, by a Chinese shipping company that already controls the port they entered from.
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