SAIC Anji Logistics has launched an international tender for two 11,000 ceu LNG dual-fuel car carrier newbuilds, a move that would make the Chinese operator the first domestic owner to invest in PCTCs above 10,000 ceu.

Bids are due by October 15, and the logistics arm of state-owned SAIC Motor says funding for the project is already secured. The first vessel must be delivered before September 2029, with the second following no more than three months later.

The tender sets a demanding qualification bar. Yards must show they delivered at least 10 LNG dual-fuel PCTCs larger than 7,000 ceu between January 2023 and the end of August this year — a requirement that sharply narrows the pool of potential bidders to China's most experienced ro-ro builders.

If built, the pair would become the largest ships in SAIC Anji's fleet and push the operator into a size bracket occupied by only a handful of current programmes. Hyundai Glovis-linked owners have 10,800 ceu ships under construction in China, while Wallenius Wilhelmsen has gone larger still with 12,100 ceu units on order at China Merchants Jinling.

A steady climb in scale

The tender extends a deliberate escalation in SAIC Anji's fleet plans. Splash reported in 2023 that the company had ordered seven 8,900 ceu car carriers at China Merchants Jinling and Jiangnan Shipyard, adding to an earlier five-ship programme as Chinese automakers raced to secure their own shipping capacity.

Last year the company moved up to 9,500 ceu with Anji Ansheng, which briefly became the world's largest car carrier by capacity when it entered service.

The expansion has continued into 2026. Jiangnan delivered the 9,500 ceu Anji Jisheng in April, the final vessel in a three-ship methanol-ready series. Its arrival took Anji Logistics' self-operated roro fleet past 40 vessels, according to the company.

The proposed 11,000 ceu ships mark a propulsion shift as well: LNG dual-fuel rather than the methanol-ready configuration of the latest series.

Capacity squeeze drives ownership

SAIC's move comes against a shortage of near-term car carrier capacity caused in large part by China's export boom. The charter market reflects that pressure directly. Splash reported in June that SAIC itself had taken the newly built 7,000 ceu Lake Rotorua for six months at around $90,000 per day, as Chinese manufacturers competed for whatever ships were available.

For shippers and forwarders moving vehicles out of China, the tender signals that the largest Chinese exporter is doubling down on owned tonnage rather than relying on a spot market where day rates have reached levels once unthinkable for PCTCs. For carriers without cargo-backing, the entry of cargo owners into the 11,000 ceu bracket adds competitive pressure on the main Asia-Europe export lanes, where Chinese-built vehicles have absorbed much of the available capacity since 2023.

For Chinese yards, the qualification threshold rewards the builders that have already industrialised large dual-fuel PCTC construction — effectively concentrating the order among a few names with proven delivery records over the past two and a half years.

With bids due in mid-October and first delivery targeted before September 2029, the tender will test both yard capacity and pricing in a segment where orderbooks are increasingly dominated by cargo owners securing their own lift.