9756 kilometers, 4809 vehicles: the full export link of cars in a ro-ro ship

June 2, Port of Melbourne, Australia.

A 199.9-meter-long giant ship slowly docked, and the deck was densely packed with 4809 white, blue and silver new energy vehicles, setting a new record for the scale of single electric vehicle imports in the Australian market.

This is the first Australian voyage of BYD's self-operated ro-ro ship Zhengzhou. A 14-day voyage, 9756 kilometers, from Shanghai Port to Melbourne Port.

But this is not just one shipment. This is a complete link from factories to overseas consumers, and every link hides the hidden accounts of automobile export logistics.

1. Why did car companies start building ships themselves?

From January to April 2026, China exported 3.28 million vehicles, a year-on-year increase of 52%. Among them, BYD exported 319,000 vehicles, a growth rate of 55%, ranking first in the industry.

Exports have soared, and transportation capacity cannot keep up.

Under the traditional model, car companies rely on third-party shipping companies to rent space. Motor Transport Ships (PCTC) have limited global capacity. In 2023, it was once difficult to find a cabin, and the sea freight rent for a single vehicle was speculated to exceed $3000. Even if the price falls, the current cost of a single unit for third-party shipping is still around $2000, and the shipping space is not guaranteed and the shipping schedule is uncontrollable-when your car can go to sea depends on the shipping company's schedule.

BYD's solution is straightforward: build your own ships.

At present, it has 8 customized ro-ro ships with an annual capacity of 250,000 - 300,000 units. The Zhengzhou is propelled by LNG dual fuel and can carry 7000 standard vehicles. Large-scale transportation + own dispatch has reduced the cost of single shipping to $1200, which is directly reduced by 40% compared with third-party shipping.

Calculate this account: each car saves $800, and 250,000 cars a year is $200 million.

2. Dismantling of 9756 kilometers of full link

How many steps does a China new energy vehicle have to go through from the Zhengzhou factory to the hands of Australian consumers?

First stop: Factory offline → Port collection

Zhengzhou Airport Base is BYD's largest vehicle base in the country, with a one-stop manufacturing process for batteries, motors, electronic controls and vehicle. After the vehicles get off the line, they are transported by truck to Shanghai Port or Taicang Port for assembly.

Cost point: The transportation cost of a cart is about ¥800- 1,200/unit, and the farther the distance, the more expensive it is. Zhengzhou to Shanghai is about 1000 kilometers, and the inland transportation cost per unit is about ¥1000.

Station 2: Loading → Transoceanic Navigation

The Zhengzhou loaded 4809 vehicles at Shanghai Port and set out. The advantage of ro-ro ships is that they drive up and down-the vehicle moves into the cabin by itself, without hoisting, and is much more efficient than container transportation.

14 days sailing, 9756 kilometers, LNG dual fuel propulsion, carbon emissions are 25% lower than traditional fuel-fired ships.

Cost points: Shipping may seem cheap, but there are many hidden costs-port fees (about $150-200/unit), insurance (the maritime insurance rate for new energy vehicles is higher than that for fuel vehicles, about 0.3-0.5%), Lashing and reinforcement fees ($30-50/unit).

Station 3: arrival → customs clearance → delivery

After arriving at the Port of Melbourne, the Australian Maritime Port Department held a welcoming ceremony and issued the maiden voyage certificate. Vehicle unloading → customs clearance (Australia has a tariff on China's electric vehicles of only 5%, which is a low-tariff market) → entering a local delivery center.

Cost card points:customs clearance + local logistics +PDI testing + delivery preparation, about $300-500/unit. But the bigger pain point is time-previously, the delivery cycle in the Australian market was as long as 6-8 weeks, and users had to wait two months to pick up the car after placing an order. The investment of self-operated fleets directly reduces the delivery cycle to less than 4 weeks.

The self-operated model saves about ¥5,600 per car, which is not a small amount for models priced at RMB 300,000 - 400,000-it directly determines that you can be 8-12% cheaper than competing products in overseas markets.

3. Whose money does it belong to?

It saves 40% of shipping costs, but don't forget: 8 ro-ro ships are a heavy asset investment.

A 7000-car LNG dual-fuel ro-ro ship costs about US$800 - 1 billion. Eight ships are a heavy asset bet of US$6 billion to US$8 billion.

This means:

In the short term:Depreciation and capital expenditure are under huge pressure, and the ship must be full to dilute costs

In the long run:During the period of freight fluctuations, your own transportation capacity is the strongest hedging tool-when others cannot rent a boat, your car will be delivered as usual

Barriers to competition:While competing products are still worried about space, you are already planning a second destination

So BYD's logic is not to save money, but to turn logistics from a cost center into performance guarantee.

This is the true meaning of the Zhengzhou's maiden voyage to Australia: when your car can arrive in Hong Kong on time within 14 days, while competitors are still waiting for the shipping date, your channels will be able to pay back earlier, and your users will be able to pick up the car faster, and your brand will be able to occupy the mind faster.

4. From selling to tying

In the same month that the Zhengzhou arrived in Hong Kong, BYD also did one thing: taking back the exclusive distribution rights in Australia from its general agent Eagles and switching to a direct control model.

Shipbuilding + direct sales is no coincidence.

In the past, China car companies went abroad basically in the wholesale model-selling cars to local general agents, outsourcing logistics, channel outsourcing, and after-sales outsourcing. What you earn is the difference between the ex-factory price and the FOB price.

What BYD is doing is copying vertical integration from domestic to overseas:

Self-built capacity:8 ro-ro ships ensure certainty of delivery

Direct control channels:Withdraw distribution rights and build a standardized after-sales system

Localized production:Thailand's right-hand rudder factory has been put into operation, and negotiations are under way for the Port of Liverpool warehouse in the UK

But this road is not cheap either. Direct sales means raising overseas teams, building after-sales outlets, and handling local regulatory compliance-each of which is a hard cost. If overseas sales cannot reach scale, idle ships and stores will be a heavy financial burden.

So the key question is: Can your overseas sales support this system?

BYD sold 160,600 overseas vehicles in May, accounting for 42% of the group's total. The Australian market's market share in April was 8.3%, ranking second in Australia, behind Toyota, with an impact of 100,000 vehicles throughout the year. At least for now, this scale is feasible.

Left for your thoughts

The automobile export link has been dismantled, but there are still several issues worthy of consideration by logistics colleagues:

What is the proportion of logistics costs to total costs in your export business? Have you ever calculated hidden accounts? Is the stability of the cabin space in third-party shipping the biggest uncertainty for your delivery and performance? If your customers start building their own logistics, what will you do?

Source: Leading the way to the sea by Gaoshen's car

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