The first cargo ship of the Chinese car manufacturer BYD has unloaded around 3,000 electric vehicles in the port of Bremerhaven, in northern Germany, marking the start of its offensive to conquer the European market. After its maiden voyage from Shenzhen, a port city in southern China, the ship “arrived at the Bremerhaven quay on Sunday and began unloading on Monday”, a spokeswoman for logistics provider Blg, which operates a terminal, told AFP automotive in Bremerhaven. The electric cars “will then be delivered to several European countries”, she added.
The vessel, called “Byd Explorer No. 1”, has a capacity of 7,000 vehicles and was built specifically for the Chinese electric car giant, which surpassed Tesla in global sales in the last quarter of 2023. According to the German press, BYD has ordered a total of eight ships, such as the “BYD Explorer No. 1”, powered by liquefied natural gas, and intends to use them to transport cars from China to Europe. BYD (“Build Your Dreams”) is China’s electric car champion and the world’s leading manufacturer, which will stop producing combustion engine cars in 2022 to focus on hybrid and electric models.