China’s leading electric vehicle (EV) manufacturer BYD has officially launched the world’s largest car carrier ship, ‘BYD Shenzhen.’
The 219.9 meter long and 37.7 meter wide vessel was delivered on April 22 during a naming ceremony held in Yizheng, located in China’s Jiangsu Province.
The massive roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ship features 16 decks and can carry up to 9,200 vehicles at once-surpassing the 9,100 car capacity of the Höegh Aurora class vessels operated by Norway’s Höegh Autoliners.
This ship is BYD’s fourth car carrier and the most advanced one so far, joining the fleet that includes the BYD Explorer No. 1, BYD Changzhou, and BYD Hefei- each with a capacity of 7,000 vehicles.
Another ship, the BYD Changsha, was launched in March 2025 and also holds 9,200 vehicles.
All these ships form part of BYD’s goal to create a ‘maritime bridge’ connecting Chinese EV manufacturing with the global market.
Built by China Merchants Industry, the BYD Shenzhen comes equipped with an LNG dual-fuel propulsion system and several advanced energy-saving and green technologies.
These include a high-efficiency main engine, shaft generators, a 1MW hybrid battery system, a Boil-Off Gas (BOG) recondenser, and a high-voltage shore power system that allows the ship to operate with zero emissions during port activities.
Additional features include drag-reducing paint, anti-fouling coatings, silicon-controlled selective catalytic reduction (SCR), and exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) systems that help reduce nitrogen oxide emissions, making the ship compliant with the International Maritime Organisation’s (IMO) latest Tier III standards.
Per reports from BYD’s public business division, the ship is also equipped with a high-efficiency loading system and protective technologies, designed to offer stable, low-carbon transportation of new energy vehicles (NEVs) to international markets.
BYD said the ship will finish its loading operations this week and then depart for Brazil, one of the company’s fastest-growing markets.
In 2024 alone, BYD sold 76,700 vehicles in Brazil, showing a massive 328% year-over-year increase. The company’s total overseas sales for 2024 reached 417,200 units.
In the first quarter of 2025, BYD’s fleet transported more than 25,000 vehicles overseas. Currently, the company’s NEVs are present in over 100 countries and regions and over 400 cities worldwide.
The ship was designed by Deltamarin, with two ships in the same class being built at CMJL Nanjing Shipyard and the other two-including the BYD Shenzhen, at CMHI Jiangsu Shipyard.
The BYD Shenzhen, weighing 16,300 deadweight tons, is expected to boost the company’s logistics efficiency, cut shipping costs, and shorten delivery times to key international markets.
Local government officials and representatives from China Merchants Industry also attended the naming ceremony.
Yizheng’s Party Secretary and Mayor, Meng Dehe, discussed the importance of shipbuilding to the local economy and vowed continued support for industrial development in the region.
Norway’s Wallenius Wilhelmsen is preparing to launch its ‘Shaper’ class car carriers from 2025 onwards.
These vessels will initially carry 9,300 units each and operate on methanol, with the ability to switch to ammonia in the future.
The company plans to upgrade eight of these ships to 11,300 unit capacity, with a total of 14 vessels being built at China Merchants Jingling Shipyard.
In late 2024, the European Union imposed tariffs on Chinese EVs.
The United States also announced a new fee on every foreign-built car carrier delivering vehicles, adding to existing tariffs on Chinese imports.
In 2022, BYD committed to investing around $687 million to develop a fleet of eight car carriers as part of its long-term plan to support overseas expansion.
Source: Marine Insight
--Agencies
