The massive vessel of Chinese EV maker BYD, "BYD CHANGZHOU," arrived at a port in the northwestern Turkish province of Kocaeli on Saturday, carrying 7,000 vehicles.
The ship docked at Safiport in Derince, Kocaeli, Anadolu Agency (AA) reported on Sunday, with released images showing it traversing Turkish waters and passing next to the newly built bridge in Çanakkale as well as the Osmangazi Bridge.
According to a statement from the company, the ship departed from the Port of Ningbo in China on Feb. 25 to make a delivery. After a journey of approximately 39 days, the BYD CHANGZHOU arrived at Safiport.
The 7,000-vehicle capacity ship, which was photographed while passing through the Çanakkale Strait and under Osmangazi Bridge, has a length of 199.9 meters and a width of 38 meters. Thanks to its gross tonnage capacity of 69,250 tons and net tonnage capacity of 21,400 tons, large-scale shipments are carried out efficiently.
Moreover, the ship operates with a dual-fuel propulsion system, reducing carbon emissions by using liquefied natural gas (LNG). This eco-friendly technology supports the company’s global sustainability goals.
The large-scale vehicle delivery indicates that BYD, a top Chinese EV maker and leading contender to Tesla, continues to strengthen its presence in Türkiye.
Last year, the company agreed with the Turkish government to invest $1 billion in opening a production facility in the country.
At the same time, the interest shown by Turkish consumers in the company’s models bolsters its position in the market. According to data from the Automotive Distributors and Mobility Association (ODMD), BYD was the fastest-growing brand in the Turkish passenger car market in the first quarter of 2025, compared to the same period the previous year.
Continuing to introduce its innovative models to the Turkish market, the company launched the sales of the TANG model in March. With this, the number of models offered by the company in Türkiye reached seven, including DOLPHIN, ATTO 3, SEAL U DM-i, SEAL U EV, HAN, SEAL AWD and TANG.
The company will continue to expand its product range by introducing the new Comfort trim of the DOLPHIN in the second half of April and the SEALION 7 in the third quarter of the year.
In 2022, BYD became the first car brand to stop producing fossil fuel vehicles. Becoming the first brand in the world to produce 10 million electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, BYD reached this achievement through a rapid growth process.
It took 15 years to produce the first 5 million new energy vehicles, while the next 5 million were completed in just 15 months, showcasing the company’s global production strength.
In 2023, BYD became the world leader in rechargeable hybrid and electric vehicle sales, while it sold more than 4 million new energy vehicles last year.
