BYD Hefei sets sail as first BYD-owned LNG dual fuel PCTC (Gallery)

The first 7,000 CEU liquefied natural gas (LNG)-powered dual-fuel pure car and truck carrier (PCTC) owned by China’s plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufacturer BYD has been delivered.

As disclosed, the vessel, named BYD Hefei, embarked on its maiden voyage on January 7, 2025, following the delivery ceremony. The vessel was built by compatriot Guangzhou Shipbuilding International (GSI), a subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC).

It boasts an overall length of 199.9 meters, a width of 38 meters, with a draft of 9 meters. According to CSSC, BYD Hefei is an upgraded “Green Low-Carbon Version 2.0” of the series of car carriers built by GSI.

On top of the dual-fuel propulsion system, the unit also reportedly features a magnet shaft generator and various energy-saving technologies, including anti-fouling and energy-efficient devices as well as drag-reducing coatings. Owing to its specifications, the ship is believed to result in a 30% reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions.

In addition to BYD Heifei, BYD has ordered another vessel for construction at GSI. Once operational, the two ships are expected to further strengthen China’s capacity to export domestically manufactured automobiles.

The delivery of the newest vessel comes after the earlier introduction of the LNG-powered 7,000 PCTC duo BYD Explorer No. 1, and BYD Changzhou, which were constructed at the Yantai Raffles Shipyard by CIMC Raffles, a subsidiary of China International Marine Containers (CIMC). The PCTC duo was ordered by US-based shipping player Zodiac Maritime and leased to BYD.

BYD Hefei is understood to be the first vessel BYD has directly ordered as an end user, with an additional one to be constructed at GSI. Once operational, these units are anticipated to strengthen China’s capacity to export domestically manufactured automobiles further.

As per CSSC, GSI’s position within the PCTC building segment has been ‘steadily growing’, with the yard having clinched nearly 40 orders for car carriers. In addition to this, as of the end of 2024, GSI reportedly constructed and delivered twelve 7,000-vehicle LNG dual-fuel car carriers, with a combined total capacity of 84,000 CEU.

One of those units was the 7,000 CEU LNG dual-fuel Glovis Sunshine, a unit built for H-Line Shipping which GSI and China Shipbuilding Trade jointly delivered on July 3, 2024. As explained, this car carrier was leased to Hyundai Glovis, a logistics company under South Korea’s Hyundai Group, for operation.

In September 2024, Hyundai Glovis shook hands with BYD, with the two parties signing a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on logistics and finished vehicle maritime transportation. Under the terms of the agreement, the former would share its PCTCs and global container logistics infrastructure with the latter.