SAIC Anji Logistics plans to commission the construction of two LNG dual-fuel car carriers, each with a capacity of 11,000 CEU. The shipping division of the Chinese car manufacturer SAIC Motor has invited shipyards to submit tenders.
The relevant tender documents were published recently. This would be the first time a Chinese company has ordered car carriers with a capacity of more than 10,000 CEU and would mark another major step in the expansion of China’s car carrier fleet.
According to SAIC Anji, financing for the two newbuilds has been secured. The first vessel must be delivered by autumn 2029 at the latest, and the second within three months of that.
To date, only a few PCTCs have a capacity exceeding 10,000 CEU. The South Korean shipping company Hyundai Glovis, the shipping division of Hyundai Motor, currently has four of a total of 20 ordered vessels, each with a capacity of 10,800 CEU, in service. The orders were placed with Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding and Guangzhou Shipyard International.
Wallenius Wilhelmsen, currently the world’s largest PCTC operator, has also ordered seven car carriers, each with a capacity of 12,100 CEU, from China Merchants Jinling Shipyard. They are due to be delivered in 2027 and 2028.
According to its own statements, SAIC Anji is applying strict criteria for participation in the tender: shipyards must demonstrate experience in building large car carriers and a track record of successful deliveries. Specifically, the company requires that bidders have delivered at least ten LNG dual-fuel PCTCs, each with a capacity of more than 7,000 CEU, between January 2023 and the end of August 2026.
According to S&P’s Sea-Web database, only a handful of shipbuilders meet these requirements. These include China Merchants Heavy Industry (Jiangsu), China Merchants Jinling Shipyard, Guangzhou Shipyard International and CIMC Raffles.
SAIC Anji’s fleet currently comprises 24 car carriers, of which ten are inland waterway vessels and 14 are seagoing vessels. The total capacity is stated as around 30,000 CEU per voyage, with an annual transport capacity of more than 2 million vehicles. The largest vessels are four PCTCs, each with a capacity of 9,500 CEU, built last year by China Merchants Jinling.
The sharp rise in Chinese vehicle exports is driving demand for car carriers. More than 1 million vehicles are now exported from China every month. Wallenius Wilhelmsen and Höegh Autolinersrecently stated that transport demand is so high that they have had to give priority to shipments from China.
