Beijing, May 15 (Youth.cn) - On May 15, 2025, at Guangzhou Nansha Automobile Port, COSCO SHIPPING’s 7,000-car-capacity LNG dual-fuel ro-ro vessel Yuanhaikou was officially named and embarked on its maiden voyage. This marks China’s first car carrier to fly the Five-Starred Red Flag. Measuring 199.9 meters in length and 38 meters in width, the ship features 12 vehicle decks, including 4 adjustable decks that can be raised to accommodate heavy machinery, buses, and tracked vehicles.
Equipped with four core strengths - "green and low-carbon, intelligent safety, digital innovation, and standard leadership" - the Yuanhaikou integrates triple green technologies: LNG clean energy, photovoltaic power, and shore power connectivity. Its LNG dual-fuel engine, paired with a 302.8 MWh distributed solar photovoltaic grid-connected system, creates a "solar charging + fuel substitution" green energy loop, setting multiple industry benchmarks. This vessel offers a replicable Chinese model for global new energy vehicle (NEV) transport and maritime decarbonization.
On its maiden voyage, the Yuanhaikou will join the China-Mediterranean route, carrying approximately 4,000 vehicles from Chinese brands such as BYD, Chery, Geely, Yutong, and Xiamen King Long, alongside construction machinery from Zoomlion and SANY, to Greece, Turkey, Italy, Tunisia, and other Belt and Road Initiative partner countries. Subsequently, it will homeport in Shanghai, leveraging the city’s "shipping + port + logistics" synergy to bolster Shanghai’s status as an international shipping hub with this "national maritime flagship."
With the Yuanhaikou’s launch, COSCO SHIPPING’s car carrier fleet expands to 20 vessels, solidifying its position as China’s largest international auto-transport fleet. Under its growth plan, COSCO aims to scale its specialized fleet to 30 ships by 2026, meeting China’s strategic goals of "Fleets of domestic manufacturing for the transportation of domestic cars exports" and propelling the global expansion of Chinese automobiles. Photo/CFP
