In the first half, China's shipyards took on twice as many new orders as they did during the same period in 2025, according to the latest numbers from Clarksons.
Out of a total of 1,481 vessels ordered worldwide during the period, China took in 1,131 orders totaling 31 million compensated gross tonnes - about 72 percent of total market share, roughly equivalent to its dominant position in the industry in 2025. China has secured the majority of global shipbuilding orders for the last four years running, and continues to solidify its wide lead over its nearest competitor, South Korea.
The large Korean shipyards brought in 195 vessel orders totaling about eight million CGT - 60 percent more than they won during the same period last year, but far behind China, with just a fifth of global market share for the first half of this year. China's market share lead over Korea is expected to widen to 53 percentage points for the full year in 2026.
However, Korean yards are optimizing for profit rather than volume, and have been selective in picking orders. The Korean Big Three have secured a much higher proportion of the more profitable vessel classes - like LNG carriers, a longtime Korean specialty. Korea holds about two-thirds of the global orderbook for LNGCs, according to Wood Mac.
Source: maritime-executive.com
