(Yicai) April 29 -- A subsidiary of China State Shipbuilding Corporation has delivered the world’s largest roll-on/roll-off vehicle carrier in terms of transport capacity to South Korean container transportation and shipping giant HMM, formerly known as Hyundai Merchant Marine.

CSSC Guangzhou Shipyard International handed the Glovis Leader over to HMM during a delivery and naming ceremony in Guangzhou’s Nansha district yesterday, the Chinese firm announced on the same day. The ship was immediately passed to its operator Hyundai Glovis, which is controlled by South Korean automakers Hyundai Motor and Kia.

Equipped with 14 garage decks, Glovis Leader has a maximum loading capacity of 10,800 automobiles. It enables flexible transportation of new energy vehicles, including electric and hydrogen cars, as well as heavy-duty trucks and various other vehicle models.

Glovis Leader has a service speed of 19 knots and runs on a liquefied natural gas/marine diesel oil dual-fuel propulsion system. It fully complies with the Tier III emission standards set by the International Maritime Organization, boasting outstanding advantages in environmental performance, energy efficiency, and operational safety.

Glovis Leader, the four other sister ships that are expected to be delivered later, and the three 8,600-vehicle pure car and truck carriers handed over last year, grant HMM a solid foundation for a full-scale expansion in the vehicle shipping business, Won Hyok Choi, president of HMM, said at the ceremony.

CSSC Guangzhou Shipyard has secured more than 40 PCTC orders. So far, it has built and delivered 19 7,000-car carriers, six 8,600-car vessels, and one 10,800-car LNG/MDO dual-fuel ro-ro ship, providing a nearly 200,000 vehicle transport capacity for global automotive trade.

CSSC Guangzhou Shipyard’s outstanding contract value is about CNY1 trillion (USD137.5 billion), with international orders accounting for over 95 percent of the total, according to company executives. Its production schedule has been fully booked through 2030.

Editors: Tang Shihua, Futura Costaglione