LNG dual-fuel car carrier the Liaohekou – developed by China's shipping giant COSCO Shipping Corporation Limited – is said to be bringing in a new age of exports for the country.

The Pure Car and Truck Carrier or PCTC, with a capacity of 7,500 vehicles, – departed Shanghai Haitong International Automobile Terminal in East China's Shanghai for Europe on July 14, carrying 4,132 commercial vehicles.

Its sailing is widely said to mark a major milestone – ushering in a new era of large vessels and new energy for Chinese automotive ocean transport.

Two days earlier, its sister ship the Minjiangkou left from the same terminal with 4,853 domestically produced cars bound for the Persian Gulf – including brands SAIC Maxus, Changan, BYD and Chery.

Shanghai's Waigaoqiao Port area, home to the Haitong terminal, is said to have become China's biggest vehicle import-export hub.

Its strategic location, numerous shipping routes, high-quality roll-on/roll-off or Ro-Ro vessel operations and efficient customs services have attracted an increasing number of automakers.

In the first half of 2024, Waigaoqiao Customs supervised the export of 613,000 domestically produced vehicles, a 27.7 percent year-on-year increase, maintaining its position as the nation's top auto exporter.

Currently, an average of 2-3 Ro-Ro vessels leave the port every day,  sending out over 3,000 vehicles to more than 100 countries and regions.

Meanwhile, foreign shipping lines are expanding their operations in Shanghai. A week ago, Pacific International Lines became the third international line after Maersk and CMA CGM to conduct "coastal relay" business in China – transshipping 20 containers of cypress logs from Yangshan Port to Qingdao Port.

In the first half of 2024, Yangshan Customs processed 7,784 coastal relay transactions, handling 49,000 TEUs or twenty-foot equivalent units of containers – representing year-on-year increases of 210 percent and 110 percent, respectively.