China takes 81.8% of global new ship orders in first nine months, cementing its lead in shipbuilding market
Statistics on China’s shipbuilding industry for the January‑September period, released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) on Friday, show that China continues to lead the world in the three key shipbuilding indicators. Notably, more than 80 percent of global new ship orders went to China, consolidating the country’s dominant position in the ...
China's shipbuilding industry has maintained its dominant position in the global market, securing 81.8% of all new ship orders during the first nine months of 2026, according to statistics released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). The country's share in key shipbuilding indicators, including output, orders, and order backlog, accounted for 63.6%, 81.8%, and 72.4% of the global market, respectively.
In the period, China completed 58.05 million deadweight tonnes (DWT) of shipbuilding output, marking a year-on-year increase of 50.7%. New ship orders reached 175.29 million DWT, surging by 163.2% year-on-year. As of September, China's order backlog stood at 399.13 million DWT, a 64.8% increase compared to the same period last year.
Furthermore, China is rapidly advancing its green transition in shipbuilding, securing 74.1% of global new-order market for green-powered vessels, a 5.7 percentage point increase from the January-June period.
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