The usual reason why not is that solar doesn't provide enough power, and batteries sufficient to power a container ship across an ocean would need to be impractically large.
I wonder if maybe there are good options for powering electric ships mid-journey. For instance, suppose you have a container ship with enough battery capacity to operate for one day. On its usual route, there is a power line running along the ocean floor, and buoys at regular intervals with cables that bring the power up to the surface. Once a day, the ship stops at one of these buoys and charges its batteries for an hour, then continues on its way.
I wonder if maybe there are good options for powering electric ships mid-journey. For instance, suppose you have a container ship with enough battery capacity to operate for one day. On its usual route, there is a power line running along the ocean floor, and buoys at regular intervals with cables that bring the power up to the surface. Once a day, the ship stops at one of these buoys and charges its batteries for an hour, then continues on its way.