China Merchants Energy Shipping Co., Ltd. (CMES Shipping), a subsidiary of China Merchants Group (CMG), has made a significant breakthrough in its roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) shipping business, establishing an innovative new model for Chinese automobile exports.
CMES Shipping's vessel "Chang Fa Long" loaded with Chinese-manufactured vehicles [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
On April 7, CMES Shipping's vessel "Chang Fa Long", carrying a full load of Chinese-manufactured vehicles, set sail from Qinzhou Port in Guangxi's Beibu Gulf and was bound for the Port of Jebel Ali in the United Arab Emirates. This historic journey marked the launch of the first intermodal transport route integrating railway cage car service with ro-ro shipping along the new western land-sea corridor. It is also the first-ever ro-ro shipping route from Beibu Gulf Port and the first direct shipping route from the port to Jebel Ali.
Spanning approximately 4,700 nautical miles and taking about 430 hours, the new route reduces transit time by 4 to 10 days compared to traditional paths, enhances delivery efficiency by 10 to 15 percent, and lowers costs by over 8 percent.
On April 10, another vessel "Tang Hong" loaded 660 new energy vehicles (NEVs) produced by a Chinese automaker's local plant, departed from Laem Chabang Port in Thailand on its way to the Port of Vitoria in Brazil. Previously, the vessel had loaded 1,979 Chinese-made vehicles at Tianjin and Shanghai ports. This marked the first time that vehicles from both domestic and overseas factories of a Chinese carmaker were exported together aboard the same Chinese vessel, establishing a direct logistics link between production hubs and overseas markets.
As CMES Shipping's dedicated ro-ro shipping arm, China Merchants ShenZhen Ro-Ro Shipping Co., Ltd. is the only domestic company equipped with ro-ro logistics vessels for river, sea, and ocean integrated transportation. The company is now accelerating the development of a global ro-ro shipping network in step with the growing pace of Chinese auto exports.
(Executive editor: Yuan Ting)
