Zhuhai’s Gaolan Port shipped its first batch of containerized new energy vehicles to Brazil on September 22, opening a two-voyage project planned to move 2,807 BYD Dolphin electric cars to the port of Vitória. The first sailing carried 1,408 vehicles. The project’s total cargo value is about CNY 290 million, according to local reports.
The shipment marks Gaolan’s first vehicle-containerization export project and a record single export of cars from the port area. The remaining 1,399 vehicles are expected to leave by the end of September. Across both voyages, the plan calls for 965 containers.
The logistics chain combines inland rail and road transport with ocean shipping. Vehicles from inland provinces are gathered by rail, moved by road to the terminal, and loaded for the voyage to Brazil. Zhuhai Port Holding Group and COSCO Shipping Specialized Carriers developed the export service, using a direct Zhuhai–Brazil route that opened last year.
The operation uses a “general cargo ship plus frame containers” method. That distinction matters: the cars are secured in vehicle frames carried aboard a multipurpose vessel, rather than driven onto a dedicated roll-on/roll-off car carrier. The format gives exporters another way to move vehicles when specialist vessel space is constrained, though this first project alone does not establish its cost or performance advantage over other shipping methods.
The export also draws on a sea-rail network linking inland vehicle sources to a regional port. Gongbei Customs said companies under its jurisdiction exported CNY 320 million worth of vehicles, including chassis, in the first eight months of 2026; CNY 140 million went to Belt and Road partner countries. Those figures cover the customs district, not Gaolan Port alone.
For Chinese automakers, the shipment shows how ports and carriers are adapting logistics to support growing vehicle exports to South America. Direct shipping and container frames can add flexibility to the available routes, while rail connections widen the inland supply base a port can serve. Whether this approach becomes a regular export channel will depend on repeat shipments, reliable handling and competitive end-to-end costs.
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