Recently, the first 7,000 CEU car carrier built by CIMC Raffles was delivered. Named “BYD EXPLORER NO.1”, the vessel will be chartered to BYD as the first vessel of BYD’s “sea-going fleet”.
The vessel is also the first car carrier built by China’s shipyard and specialized in the export of domestic automobiles, which will strongly support the rapid expansion of BYD’s overseas market.
BYD EXPLORER 1 has an overall length of 199.9 meters, a beam of 38 meters, a design draft of 8.6 meters, a design speed of 19 knots, and a loading capacity of 7,000 cars. Equipped with two sets of C-type LNG storage tanks, the car carrier operates on green and clean liquefied natural gas (LNG) as the main fuel for the main engine and generator, which significantly reduces the emission of nitrogen oxides (NOx) and sulfur oxides (SOx). With a maximum range of 15,800 nautical miles, the vessel is an energy-saving, environmental-friendly and high-efficiency car carrier, which is classified by DNV.
It is reported that BYD EXPLORER NO.1 is the first vessel of CIMC Raffles’ 7,000 CEU series of car carriers. CIMC Raffles has laid out a professional production line for car carriers, and with sufficient orders in hand, the company has become one of the mainstream car carrier construction bases in the world.