On February 18, the Guangdong Provincial High-quality Development Conference was held in Shenzhen, and Wang Chuanfu, chairman and president of BYD Co., Ltd., delivered a speech as a representative of the company. He introduced that with the Chinese brand going out, BYD entered the field of ro-ro ship business, and the first ro-ro ship "Pioneer No. 1" has achieved its maiden voyage in Xiaomo Port in January this year; In the next two years, seven more ro-ro ships will be put into operation one after another to alleviate the shortage of export capacity, help Shenzhen accelerate the construction of a "new generation of world-class automobile city", and promote Guangdong's new energy vehicles to enter more countries and regions around the world.
Roll-on roll-off ship (ro-ro ship) is also known as:"Open up and open down"A ship is a type of ship that is specifically used to transport goods, using cargo carriers or tractors to load and unload goods. It can transport a variety of wheeled goods such as cars, motorcycles, trucks, semi-trailers, buses, trailers, and train cars, among others.
BYD's entry into the field of ro-ro ships is a relatively big possibility: in order to cope with the upcoming wave of domestic automobile exports and meet the growing demand for overseas markets. With the success of BYD's overseas new energy vehicle market development, it is necessary to make up for some shortcomings in logistics and transportation. At the same time, the international ro-ro ship ** soared from $10,000 in 2020 to $150,000 a day in 2023, and it has not yet been chartered. In order to go out smoothly and vigorously explore overseas markets, BYD must build its own fleet to go to sea, otherwise it will face the situation of being stuck by others.
In addition to BYD, some Chinese automakers have also entered the ro-ro space, such as CSSC's Guangzhou Shipyard International. It was previously reported that Guangzhou Shipbuilding International, a subsidiary of CSSC, has undertaken the construction of BYD's 7,000-vehicle dual-fuel (natural gas or fuel oil) car carrier project, with a ship length of nearly 200 meters, a width of 38 meters, and a draft of 9 meters.