China Merchants Industry Nanjing Jinling has held a ship handover and naming ceremony for the 9,200 CEU dual-fuel car carrier, BYD Shenzhen, built for China’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufacturer BYD.
According to China Merchants, the ship has a loading capacity of 9,200 standard car spaces and is the “largest car carrier delivered in the world.”
With a speed of 19 knots, the BYD Shenzhen is understood to be 219.9 meters long, 37.7 meters wide and has 16 decks. It reportedly features a dual-fuel propulsion system to meet the International Maritime Organization’s (IMO) third-stage requirements for energy efficiency and carbon emissions.
China Merchants revealed that the ship is equipped with a battery hybrid system and a shaft generator, and uses energy-saving devices and denitrification technologies such as thyristor selective catalytic reduction and exhaust gas recirculation. In addition, it is said to be equipped with a high-voltage shore power system to achieve zero carbon emissions during loading and unloading at the terminal.
Commenting on the handover, Mei Xianzhi, General Manager of China Merchants Industry, pointed out that in recent years, with the growth of the global automobile market and the rise of new energy vehicles, automobile carriers, as a link between automobile production and consumer markets, have ushered in “unprecedented development opportunities.”
Meng Dehe, Secretary of Yizheng Municipal Party Committee and Mayor, stressed that the shipbuilding industry is a traditional advantageous industry in Yizheng, adding that the county will continue to uphold the service concept of “truly worry-free” to continuously optimize the business environment, create a better environment for the city’s shipbuilding enterprises and contribute more “Yizheng strength to the manufacturing power.”
Wang Junbao, General Manager of BYD Corporate Business Department, emphasized that the delivery of the BYD SHENZHEN is a “sea bridge” connecting China’s smart manufacturing with the world market.
To note, back in 2022, BYD announced a CNY 5 billion (about $687 million) investment in an eight-ship-strong RoRo fleet, which it plans to complete by 2026.
BYD Explorer No.1 was delivered to the company in January 2024 and BYD Changzhou in December 2024, while the third ship, BYD Hefei, was launched in January 2025 as the company’s first owned PCTC. BYD Shenzhen was launched in January this year, while the next vessel, Changsha, was unveiled in March.
At the beginning of April, BYD revealed that BYD Shenzhen was about to embark on its maiden voyage, and at the time, the company also announced the launch of BYD Xi’an.