For the first time, a shipment of BYD cars arrives directly from China to Spain, and it does so via this spectacular ship. The direct import of its models and spare parts is now a reality.
BYD is taking another step in its commercial relationship with Spain. For the first time, its roll-on/roll-off cargo ship “Explorer NO.1” is arriving at a Spanish port, specifically Santander, transporting a total of 1,000 units of the new BYD Seal U DM-i plug-in hybrid SUV in its holds, which are already on their way to the brand’s dealerships in our country. This is the first of the trips that the ship will make from China to Spain, allowing the direct import of both cars and spare parts.
A three-phase import operation
But how has the import operation been carried out up to now? Since its arrival in Spain in March 2023, BYD cars have stopped in countries in northern and central Europe, especially in Holland, where the Chinese brand has its headquarters in the Old Continent.
Initially, the cars arrived by ship from China to the ports of Bruges or Amsterdam, where all the import formalities were carried out, and then they were transported by truck to Spain to be distributed.
Once the volume of imported models increased, BYD launched a second phase. The cars arriving by ship from China to the ports of central and northern Europe were no longer loaded onto trucks, but were re-shipped onto other ships for transport to the port of Santander.
In this new and third phase of imports, BYD models are now arriving directly from China to Spain. Santander has received the “Explorer NO.1” freighter, but other ports, such as Barcelona, may be where the new cargo arrives. Import procedures will be carried out from Spanish ports.
As an anecdote, it took the workers just 2.5 hours to unload the 1,000 Seal U models from the ship.
1,000 cars have landed
In this first China-Spain operation, 1,000 units of the brand’s new SUV, the Seal U DM-i, have arrived at the port of Santander, but the cargo ship, with a length of 199.9 metres, has the capacity to transport up to 7,000 cars. The direct import of cars and spare parts from the Chinese brand will allow customers to have their orders more quickly and with shorter waits.
BYD’s ship has the capacity to carry up to 7,000 cars.
The “Explorer NO.1” was officially launched on January 10, 2024 in Yantai Port, China, and is a pioneer ship in the maritime transportation of plug-in vehicles. It features a dual propulsion system of LNG and conventional fuel.
