One of the four vessels owned by the Chinese automotive giant BYD has called at Mexican ports for the first time, as part of its strategy to meet global demand with its own fleet of Roll-on-Roll-off (Ro-Ro) vessels, which it began piloting in early 2024, resulting in significant logistical savings.
The BYD Changzhou, with a length of 200 meters, a beam of 38 meters, and a draft of eight meters, made its first call at the port of Mazatlán, Sinaloa (northwestern Mexico).
Terminal Marítima Mazatlán (TMAZ), the operator of the multipurpose terminal that has become a benchmark for automotive maritime transport in the Mexican Pacific, received a total of 2,000 units in 24 hours.
“The ship’s arrival strengthens Mazatlán’s strategic position in the automotive sector’s logistics chains, supporting the transition toward clean technologies and sustainable mobility solutions,” said Mauricio Ortiz, general director of TMAZ, in a social media post.
From January to May of this year, TMAZ transferred 73,686 units from various automotive manufacturers, mostly in import services (73,186), a slight decrease of 5.8% compared to the same period last year, according to statistics from the General Coordination of Ports and Merchant Marine (CGPMM), an office of the Ministry of the Navy (Semar).
The second port of call was at the port of Lázaro Cárdenas, in Michoacán, the country’s busiest maritime port for the automotive industry.
SSA Marine México’s specialized automotive terminal received 3,503 units.
“The arrival of this ship not only represents a logistical milestone, but also the strengthening of the commercial relationship with a brand that is transforming the global landscape of electric transportation,” stated the Lázaro Cárdenas National Port System Administration (Asipona), a subsidiary of the CGPMM, in a press release.
For the first five months of this year, the Michoacán port handled 278,449 new automobiles, increasing by 6.4% year-on-year. Here, the balance also leans toward imports, with 201,802 units in the aforementioned period, according to data from the port authority.
These units, imported by BYD into Mexico with its own fleet, will be placed in one of the 50 dealerships it has in the country, although it plans to open 30 more this year.
Last year, BYD sold 40,000 electric and hybrid vehicles in Mexico, and this year it aims to double that figure, reaching 80,000 units sold.
Source: t21
