With the continuous prosperity and development of the marine industry, the number of ships is increasing while greenhouse gas emissions are rising. In order to meet the relevant international ship emission regulations, the solution of developing electric ships is proposed. As the core device of the electric ship propulsion system, the maturity and applicability of power battery technology play a key role in the development of the electric ship. This article introduces the principles and advantages of the fuel cell, lithium-ion battery as well as supercapacitor battery, respectively, and analyzes the application status and challenges of power batteries in existing electric ships. The development direction and problems to be solved of power battery in current and future ship applications are put forward, which can provide a reference for further research.