china's largest dual-fuel-powered car carrier, built by china state shipbuilding corp ltd, began its maiden voyage from shanghai to europe on jan 17.
this 200-meter-long, 38-meter-wide, and 13-story-high ocean-going giant, which was officially named saic anji shencheng, has a capacity of 7,600 vehicles and a displacement of over 40,000 metric tons. it innovatively utilizes lng and lsfo (low sulphur fuel oil) dual-fuel clean power, which is capable of reducing carbon dioxide emissions by 30 percent.
as the largest in-service clean energy ro-ro ship with the highest degree of localization, the saic anji shencheng will be the first to transport chinese brand new vehicles from saic motor, dongfeng motor, and yutong to europe.
saic anji logistics co, a logistics unit owned by shanghai-based saic motor corp ltd, has established the largest self-operated fleet of car-carrying ships in china, comprising 31 types of car-carrying vessels, and has opened seven self-operated international routes to southeast asia, mexico, the western coast of south america, and europe. over the next three years, a total of 14 ocean-going transport ships will be added to the saic anji logistics ocean-going fleet, accelerating the overseas expansion of independent chinese brands.
the expansion of saic motor's ocean-going fleet has demonstrated the rapid growth of the automaker's overseas business. in 2023, saic motor sold a record 1.21 million units overseas, an 18.8 percent year-on-year increase, maintaining its position as the top domestic automaker in overseas sales for the eighth year in a row.
sales of its self-owned brands accounted for nearly 92 percent of overseas sales, while nev sales accounted for nearly 24 percent. it's mg4 ev was recognized as the top-selling compact pure electric vehicle in europe. as a pioneer in overseas expansion among chinese automotive companies, the global sales of the mg brand in 2023 exceeded 840,000 vehicles, winning over 30 prestigious overseas awards, including "car of the year" in the united kingdom, france, germany, and australia. the brand also ranked among the top 10 in countries such as australia, new zealand, mexico, and india. this year marks the centenary of the mg brand, and efforts will be focused on achieving a global annual sales target of 1 million vehicles.
anji logistics is the world's largest automotive logistics company. pioneering in multimodal transportation that integrates road, rail, and water networks, its business spans nearly 600 cities in china and over 100 countries, with an annual shipping volume of tens of millions of vehicles. in addition to saic motor's own brands, anji logistics also provides ocean-going whole-vehicle logistics services for many chinese automotive companies, including dongfeng motor, yutong, and great wall motor.
