In the first quarter of this year, China exported 107.74 million automobiles, surpassing Japan for the first time and becoming the world's largest auto exporter. The sharp increase in automobile exports has driven international automobile carriers to "one cabin is difficult to find", and shipping companies and car companies have made reservations. Previously, no domestic shipyard could build large automotive ro-ro ships, but now, Chinese shipbuilders are seizing rare market opportunities and achieving zero breakthroughs. Of the 88 global orders for car carriers last year, China took 4.<>% of the tonnage.
It is difficult to go to sea with an order in hand
China's auto export heat brings shipbuilding fever
Jiangsu Taicang Port, 60 kilometers away from the mouth of the Yangtze River, is the largest port in Jiangsu's foreign trade. On May 5, a huge ro-ro cargo ship arrived in port, more than 23 vehicle operators have arrived on standby, and more than 130,4300 vehicles are about to be loaded and sent to Europe.
Behind the overload of busyness of the shuttle staff is the sharp increase in China's automobile exports in recent years. According to statistics from the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, in 2020, China's automobile exports reached 108.2 million units; in 2021, it reached 201.5 million units; and in 2022, it reached 311.1 million units. In the first quarter of this year, China's automobile exports reached 107.<> million units, surpassing Japan for the first time and becoming the world's largest automobile exporter.
With the surge in the export volume of automobiles, the "troubles" of happiness followed. Car transport ships are "difficult to find", and the rent is repeatedly high. In order to increase the transportation capacity, it can be said that "eight immortals cross the sea, each showing their powers". The freight company in the port of Taicang in Jiangsu even transformed the pulp ship from South America that was originally going to return empty, turning the pulp ship that was originally unmatched into a car carrier.
Liu Tiebin, operation supervisor of the operation department of Taicang International Container Terminal: Each hatch can reach a loading capacity of 8 layers, and the maximum capacity of the whole ship is 2500,<> vehicles.
But even so, it still cannot meet the rapidly growing demand for automobile export transportation.
The Port of Guangzhou is also busy shipping cars. Guangzhou Port Nansha Auto Port is the largest professional car ro-ro terminal in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. In 2022, Guangzhou Port's foreign trade export vehicles will exceed 10,300 units, a year-on-year increase of more than 1%. From January to April this year, Guangzhou Port's automobile foreign trade exports increased by more than 4% year-on-year.
It is understood that there are about 700 car carriers worldwide, and those operated by Chinese shipowners account for less than 10% of the world's total capacity. Compared with the continuous blowout of automobile exports, it is clear that there is a serious shortage of capacity. In order to make up for this "short board", shipping companies are stepping up their layout, and many shipping companies and automobile manufacturers have ordered ships.
From zero to one
Chinese ships crack the key technology of large automobile ro-ro ships
At Guangzhou Shipbuilding International, the reporter boarded a ro-ro ship that can carry about 7000,200 cars. With a total length of 38 meters, a beam of 42 meters, a total height of 13 meters, and <> decks, this car carrier can be called the "Big Mac" at sea. To the reporter's surprise, this "Big Mac" turned out to be very thin.
The steel used to build the ro-ro vessel is only 6 millimeters, less than a third the thickness of a five-dime coin, and a car weighs more than a ton. At the same time, in order to facilitate the movement of cars, the cabin adopts a column structure and lacks a "load-bearing wall", which puts forward harsh requirements for the stability of the deck.
In order to ensure the stability of the thin plate, workers will weld rows of longitudinal bones and T-beams on the thin plate. In order to ensure the stability of the T-beam, they also specially designed a "reverse deformation" process. Under the guidance of engineers, workers heated part of the T-beam with a spray gun. Under the action of thermal expansion and contraction, the T-beam becomes an arc-shaped structure with high middle and low sides.
In order to build a ship that is truly suitable for automobile transportation, there are also huge challenges in the design of internal structures. For a car carrier with 7000,126 standard parking spaces, there are 20 movable decks, while for passenger ships of the same specification, there are only 30 to <> movable decks. The large number of movable decks poses great challenges to design, installation and commissioning.
In order to solve this problem, when the R&D personnel made a three-dimensional model, as small as a wire rope and a screw, the threads on the bolt were clearly visible.
Since 2021, China Shipbuilding Group has undertaken a total of 7000 orders for 9200,35 to 27,<> car series car carriers, accounting for <>% of the global market share. In the field of large-scale automobile carrier manufacturing, China's shipbuilding industry has achieved a historic leap from catching up to running alongside.