On January 22, 2026, the global shipbuilding market experienced a strong "rush to buy orders" at the end of the year. According to Clarkson's latest industry monthly report, global new ship orders surged to 313 in December 2025 alone, not only announcing a market recovery but also highlighting the decisive position of China's shipbuilding industry on the global map.

Chinese shipping companies dominate the market with absolute dominance

Data shows that in December 2025, there will be a significant increase of 94 new single ring ships signed globally, and the revised total tonnage will increase by 24.53% month on month. In this round of growth, Chinese shipping companies have performed at a dominant level, receiving a total of 229 new ship orders, firmly ranking first in the world with a global market share of 68.59%, while South Korea ranks second with a share of 19.52%. From the perspective of specific ship types, the market orders cover a wide range, with 97 bulk carriers, 45 container ships, 41 oil tankers, and 21 liquefied gas carriers, demonstrating the extensive demand for various types of ships in the global shipping industry. China not only leads in monthly orders, but also consolidates its leading position with a cumulative new order volume of over 61% of the global market share throughout 2025.

Chinese shipyards hold nearly 70% of the world's future production capacity

The confidence of the market is more intuitively reflected in the volume of orders held. As of January 9, 2026, shipyards worldwide hold a total of 6489 orders. Among them, Chinese shipyards hold 4482 orders, not only occupying 69.07% of the global market share in terms of quantity, but also accounting for 64.02% of the total revised tonnage of orders. This means that Chinese shipyards have locked in the world's major shipbuilding capacity for the next few years. By comparison, the share of orders held by Japanese and Korean shipyards is 11.74% and 11.00%, respectively. From the perspective of ship type reserves, bulk carriers, oil tankers, and container ships are the three main forces holding orders, with 1541, 1591, and 1244 ships respectively, providing solid guarantees for the sustainable development of the industry. Keywords: international news and information, latest international news

Delivery slowdown and price differentiation of ships

Compared to the booming new orders, the delivery pace of ships in December 2025 has slowed down. Global shipyards delivered a total of 157 new ships in the month, with a 27.05% decrease in deadweight tonnage compared to the previous month. Nevertheless, the delivery volume for the whole year of 2025 still increased by 8.84% year-on-year, reaching 97.38 million tons, demonstrating the sustained recovery of the supply chain. At the same time, the prices of new shipbuilding have shown a trend of differentiation: the price index of bulk carriers and container ships remains stable, while the price index of oil tankers continues to rise by 1 point to 213 points. Among them, the prices of some segmented ship types such as Cape of Good Hope bulk carriers and VLCC ultra large oil tankers are still rising, reflecting the market's continued optimism about the demand for specific ship types.Editor/Gao Xue