BYD weighs new car carrier order as vehicle exports surge

BYD is preparing another expansion of its maritime capacity as vehicle exports continue to grow. Reports published in recent days pointed to a possible order for 10 new pure car and truck carriers, or PCTCs, with capacity of 9,200 CEUs each. Subsequent reporting, however, indicates that the project is still under negotiation and that neither the number of vessels nor their final configuration has been decided.

The initial report on the 10 ships was published by Chilean outlet Mundo Marítimo, citing data from New Ships and specialist platform Robin Assafina. The vessels were reportedly expected to be built by China Merchants Industry at its Jinling and Haimen shipyards, with deliveries between 2027 and 2029.

If confirmed on those terms, the order would add 92,000 CEUs of transport capacity to the BYD car carrier fleet.

A follow-up report published by Xinde Marine News on September 15, however, painted a less settled picture. According to sources cited by the publication, BYD is in talks with shipyards to expand its vehicle shipping capacity, but has not yet finalized the number of ships, vessel size, construction sites or commercial structure of the deal.

Among the configurations reportedly under consideration are PCTCs with capacities of about 8,600 and 9,200 CEUs.

CEU, or car equivalent unit, is the shipping industry’s standard measure for the capacity of vehicle carriers. A 9,200-CEU vessel does not necessarily carry exactly 9,200 cars, as actual capacity depends on the size of the vehicles on board.

Fleet build-up began in 2024

BYD assembled its first dedicated shipping fleet in less than two years.

The expansion began with the Explorer No. 1, delivered in January 2024, and continued through September 2025, when the BYD Jinan entered service. The company’s shipping structure also includes the Hefei, Changzhou, Shenzhen, Xi’an, Changsha and Zhengzhou.

Not all of that capacity, however, comes from vessels owned by the automaker itself. The Explorer No. 1, for example, was delivered to Zodiac Maritime and later chartered by BYD, according to information released by its builder.

BYD’s strategy therefore combines vessels directly associated with the company and capacity contracted on the charter market.

The original fleet was designed to keep pace with the automaker’s rapid international expansion. Mundo Marítimo cited estimates indicating that the structure could support exports of up to 1 million vehicles per year.

Brazil already part of BYD’s shipping network

Brazil became part of that strategy early on.

In May 2024, the Explorer No. 1 made its first call in the Americas at the Port of Suape, in Pernambuco, carrying around 5,400 electric and hybrid vehicles.

The unloading operation took 48 hours and, at the time, set a record for the largest number of imported vehicles handled in a single operation in the port complex’s history.

The vessel has capacity for up to 7,000 vehicles and took 27 days to sail from China to Brazil.

Suape handled 80,051 vehicles in 2024 and positions itself as a regional hub for this type of cargo. The port has dedicated infrastructure for Ro-Ro operations, in which wheeled cargo is driven on and off vessels via ramps rather than lifted by cranes.

BYD’s relationship with Brazil’s maritime logistics has gained another dimension with production at its plant in Camaçari, Bahia. The factory, inaugurated in October 2025, reached 100,000 vehicles produced in July this year.

The expansion of local production could gradually reshape the company’s cargo flows in Brazil. So far, BYD’s large car carriers have been associated mainly with imports of vehicles manufactured in Asia.

As local production increases and the possibility of serving other markets from Bahia develops, maritime capacity could also become relevant for future export flows.

BYD, however, has not announced that the vessels currently under discussion will be assigned to operations involving its Brazilian plant.

Car carriers are getting larger

BYD’s move comes amid a new round of orders in the global vehicle carrier market.

Clarksons data compiled by Xinde Marine News show that 37 PCCs and PCTCs had been ordered worldwide by mid-July this year, compared with just nine contracts during all of 2025.

The market had previously gone through a much stronger ordering cycle in 2023 and 2024, when 83 and 73 vessels were contracted, respectively.

Chinese shipyards accounted for 35 of the 37 orders recorded through July.

The latest generation of vessels also includes larger ships, with capacities exceeding 8,000 CEUs.

That is the size range BYD is reportedly considering. If the company chooses a 9,200-CEU configuration, the vessels would rank among the largest PCTCs currently used in international vehicle transport.

Export growth drives demand for more capacity

The search for more maritime capacity is unfolding alongside BYD’s rapid international expansion.

According to data from the China Passenger Car Association cited by Mundo Marítimo, BYD exported 184,000 passenger vehicles from China in August, up 131% from the same month in 2025 and 6% from July.

From January to August, exports reached 1.127 million vehicles, an 88% year-on-year increase.

In August, BYD accounted for 35.4% of China’s exports of new energy passenger vehicles, a category that includes battery-electric and plug-in hybrid models.

The company’s maritime structure is also following the internationalization of production. In September 2025, the BYD Zhengzhou carried vehicles manufactured in Thailand to the United Kingdom, marking BYD’s first export shipment from that plant.

As exports grow, an expanded BYD car carrier fleet could give the automaker greater control over vehicle flows between production hubs and overseas markets. For now, however, the scope of the next fleet expansion remains under negotiation.

Source: Transporte Moderno

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