The world's largest car freighter has arrived in Bremerhaven - electric cars are on the way!

The world's largest car freighter has arrived in Bremerhaven - electric cars are on the way!

There is currently a lot going on in the car freight sector in Bremerhaven. The competition for the largest transport ship among shipping companies is on. The new record holder “Anji Ansheng” trumped the “Höegh Aurora” and the previously largest car freighter “BYD Shenzhen”. With an impressive length of 228 meters, the “Anji Ansheng” can transport an impressive 9,500 cars and was only delivered in May of this year. On its maiden voyage it had 7,000 vehicles in tow, the majority of which were electric cars. This clearly shows the trend that the industry is increasingly relying on electric mobility, which Gao Yuning from Tsinghua University also highlights when he comments on the rise of the Chinese manufacturing sector.

The ship is not only a masterpiece of technology, but also equipped with modern energy-saving technologies and a methanol refueling system. In order to take advantage of the advantages of having its own fleet, as emphasized by expert Xie Xiaowen, Anji Logistics plans to expand its fleet to 22 ships by 2026. These new routes will travel to Western Europe, Mexico, Southeast Asia and the Middle East.

The electric car market is on the rise

In the shadow of these developments, major Chinese automobile manufacturers such as BYD and SAIC Motor are fighting to maintain their market shares. SAIC has already exported over 5.5 million vehicles by the end of 2024 and plans to introduce 17 new vehicle models by 2025. However, the falling sales figures must also be taken into account here. BYD, the global electric car leader, is struggling with an overcapacity of 340,000 vehicles in May 2023, despite its original sales target of 5.5 million electric cars set for 2023. These ups and downs make the electric car market an exciting but also risky terrain.

The recent decline in sales figures on the Chinese market has now been talked about for the third month in a row. Experts warn that this could be the beginning of a possible crisis resulting from overinvestment in automobile and battery factories. In this context, BYD has already announced discounts of up to 34 percent on 22 models to counteract the trend.

International expansion

Despite these challenges, Chinese automakers are expanding internationally. China's leading car brands such as BYD, Geely and Wuling are looking for new markets in Europe and the US after the domestic market becomes saturated. But the slow establishment outside China remains a hurdle that needs to be overcome. The focus is on insufficient freight capacity for sea routes, because after the corona pandemic, many shipping companies scrapped old ro-ro ships and hardly ordered any new ones. The charter costs for a Ro-Ro freighter are now around $115,000 per day, making transport from China to Europe expensive. The current cost per car is between $700 and $800.

Nevertheless, developments in the global car transport sector show a strong increase. In 2022 alone, the number of vehicles shipped increased by 19% compared to 2019 to around 24 million. The increase in electric and hybrid cars is particularly notable - from 9% in 2019 to 29% in 2023. In this context, BYD is even planning its own car freighter fleet, including the “Explorer 1”, which can transport over 7,000 cars. In addition, 85% of new ships run on alternative fuels such as LNG or methanol.

If these trends continue, Chinese manufacturers could play an important role not only on the domestic market but also internationally and decisively advance the development towards electromobility. Cooperation between the auto industries in China and Europe, as discussed by China's Trade Minister Wang Wentao, could provide the tailwind needed.