The Viking Queen, laden with electric cars, set sail from Shanghai on July 30, 2024. These vehicles, manufactured by Leapmotor International - a joint venture between Stellantis and Chinese automaker Leapmotor - include the first exports of the C10 SUV and the T03 city car to Europe. Sales of these cars will begin in September through Stellantis' European network. Initially, they will be available at 200 dealerships, expanding to 500 by 2026.
The car carrier, Viking Queen (IMO 9318462), was built in Croatia in 2007 and sails under the flag of the Marshall Islands. Measuring 199.9 meters in length, it has a capacity of approximately 7,000 CEU. Details regarding the number of vehicles on board for this voyage remain undisclosed. The ship belongs to GCC Cue Shipowning, based in Singapore, a subsidiary of the Norwegian company Gram Car Carriers. In January 2024, Gram Car Carriers announced a five-year time charter contract for the Viking Queen with a major European operator at a daily rate of $62,300, totaling $114 million.
The Viking Queen is expected to reach a European port, the specific location of which has not been disclosed, by the end of August. It is presumed to dock or at least call at one of the nine countries where Leapmotor International will commence sales of the C10 and T03 models starting in September 2024: Belgium, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, and Romania. According to VesselFinder, the Viking Queen is currently projected to arrive in Lagos, Nigeria, on August 26, 2024. This may be an interim stop before continuing to its final destinations in Europe.
