BYD expands car‑carrier fleet

BYD’s decision to build out its own fleet of car carriers is a shipping story as much as an auto story. The company is trying to secure vessel access, lower transport costs and keep export deliveries moving at a time when maritime risk has spread beyond any single route. Securewest said it recorded 14 maritime-related incidents in the week of May 12-18, while a senior NATO official told Bloomberg that the alliance is discussing whether to help ships pass through the Strait of Hormuz if the waterway is not reopened by early July. That backdrop helps explain why BYD has been putting more of its outbound logistics under direct control. BYD’s own disclosures show it has been adding dedicated roll-on/roll-off vessels since 2024, including the 9,200-car BYD Shenzhen delivered on April 22, 2025. The company said the ship would strengthen global deliveries, shorten transport cycles and reduce logistics costs. ### Why is an automaker buying ships instead of just chartering them? (securewest.com) BYD has said outright that shipping capacity is part of its global expansion plan. In its April 2025 statement on BYD Shenzhen, the company described the vessel as a key piece of its global sales and supply-chain system and said it would improve delivery capability in major overseas markets. The fleet strategy also gives BYD more control over a bottleneck that has become harder to predict. (byd.com) CNBC TV18 reported that BYD was expanding its car-carrier fleet to cut shipping costs, manage geopolitical risk and sustain electric-vehicle exports amid tariffs and freight disruption. That matches the company’s own language about controlling delivery timing and logistics capacity. ### How big is the fleet now? (byd.com) BYD’s ship program has expanded quickly since the launch of Explorer No.1 in January 2024. BYD’s official statements confirm the company had at least six named car carriers by June 2025, including Explorer No.1, Changzhou, Hefei, Shenzhen, Xi’an and Changsha. BYD said on June 24, 2025 that Changsha was its sixth car transport vessel. (byd.com) BYD said the vessels already in operation had carried more than 70,000 new-energy vehicles worldwide by late June 2025. The company also said BYD Xi’an was departing with about 7,000 vehicles bound for Europe, including the UK, Italy, Spain and Belgium. ### What does maritime risk look like right now? Securewest’s weekly summary said 14 maritime-related incidents were recorded across the week of May 12-18. (bydglobal.com) Search results for that report and parallel industry reporting described activity across the Singapore Straits, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Guinea, Gulf of Oman, Somalia, the Mediterranean, the Black Sea and South America, pointing to a broad risk picture rather than a single chokepoint problem. (byd.com) UKMTO, which tracks incidents affecting vessels around the Arabian Gulf, Strait of Hormuz and Gulf of Oman, said on May 14 it had received 49 reports in that theater since Feb. 28, including 27 attacks, 20 cases of suspicious activity and two hijacks. ### Why does Hormuz matter even for an automaker shipping cars? The Strait of Hormuz remains a pressure point for global trade because it affects shipping schedules, insurance assumptions and vessel availability more broadly. (securewest.com) Bloomberg, as carried by gCaptain, reported on May 19 that NATO is discussing whether to help ships through the strait if it remains blocked into early July. Alexus Grynkewich, NATO’s supreme allied commander Europe, said at a Tuesday press conference: “Am I thinking about it? (ukmto.org) Absolutely.” The same report said the idea has support from several NATO members but not yet unanimous backing. NATO leaders are due to meet in Ankara on July 7-8, according to the report. ### What should readers watch next? BYD’s next steps are likely to show up in vessel deliveries, route deployment and export volumes. The company has said its ships are intended to support global deliveries and lower logistics costs, and its June 2025 statement showed Europe as a key destination set. (gcaptain.com) The next external marker comes in July. NATO leaders are scheduled to meet in Ankara on July 7-8, and Bloomberg reported any Hormuz mission would depend first on political direction from member states. (gcaptain.com) (byd.com)