BYD Xi’an, one of the world’s biggest car carriers, threads through Suez Canal

July 17, 2025, by Sara Kosmajac

Chinese plug-in hybrid electric vehicle manufacturer BYD’s roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) car carrier BYD Xi’an, hailed as one of the largest ships of its type in the world, has passed through the Suez Canal on its maiden voyage.

The 219-meter-long vessel was launched in April this year, back-to-back with the sister ship, BYD Shenzhen, embarking on its own inaugural journey. Loaded with around 7,000 vehicles, BYD Xi’an was then sent off on its maiden voyage from Singapore to Italy.

According to the Suez Canal Authority (SCA), another unit owned by China’s biggest electric vehicle maker, christened as BYD Hefei, also passed through the Suez Canal on June 27, marking a significant milestone for the SCA and the canal.

The canal, long a bedrock of global trade, has weathered almost two years of on-and-off disruptions caused by Houthi attacks on commercial ships in the Red Sea, prompting rerouted traffic and fears of long-term instability.

Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, has highlighted that the canal has seen positive indicators concerning the regularity of vehicle carriers’ transit and the increase in transit rates, no matter the present challenges.

Additionally, he underscored that the recent passages send “a message of confidence” that the return of major shipping lines to the canal was inevitable, but that the pace would always depend on the geopolitical landscape in the region.

”We expect the tonnage of vehicle carriers transiting through the Canal to increase by at least 20% in the second half of 2025 compared to the first half of the same year,” he shared.

In line with this, Rabiee shared expectations that the number of journeys linked to BYD’s shipping line should increase, alongside the regular transit of certain voyages by COSCO Shipping (as part of its services together with Neptune Lines).

What is more, in February this year, two journeys have reportedly passed through the Suez Canal under the new maritime service launched by United Global Ro-Ro, a recently formed joint venture (JV) between Noatum Maritime – part of AD Ports Group – and Turkiye’s logistics and port services provider Erkport.

As informed, the service links ports in the Far East with ports in the Mediterranean and northwest Europe.

The Red Sea crisis, which has been ongoing since October 2023, with attacks recently once again resumed, has brought on numerous hardships for the shipping industry. The Suez Canal’s position as a strategic checkpoint thusly came under repeated pressure, testing its resilience amid widespread rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope.

In February 2025, however, the Suez Canal Authority expressed anticipation for the improvement of trade flow through the canal. At the time, the SCA shared that efforts were being actively made to restore services, including for some of the world’s most prominent shipping players, such as France’s CMA CGM.

Beyond infrastructural developments and safety matters, Rabiee explained at the time that the Suez Canal was making progress in implementing the Green Canal strategy. The strategy focused on building eco-friendly ships, converting certain marine units to operate on biofuel, powering pilotage stations with clean energy and unpacking new services for the ‘safe and sustainable’ disposal of marine waste.

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