China’s shipbuilding industry has further consolidated its leading position in the global shipbuilding market by achieving the highest order figure in its history during the first six months of 2026.
Sea-news.az reports that Chinese shipyards have set a new maritime record in just six months, surpassing the total order volumes of previous years.
According to official figures released by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) of the People’s Republic of China, a total of 121.06 million deadweight tons (DWT) of new ship orders were placed at the country’s shipyards in January–June. This figure represents a 173.1% increase compared to the same period last year and accounts for 82.3% of global orders for maritime transport vehicles in terms of tonnage. Thus, Chinese shipbuilders surpassed the 107.82 million DWT order volume recorded for the entire year of 2025 by 12.3% in just half a year.
Intensive growth dynamics in the shipbuilding sector continued in the second quarter as well. In April–June, Chinese shipyards accepted 61.53 million DWT of new orders, and in the first quarter of the year, 59.53 million DWT.
By the end of June, the total order book of Chinese shipyards rose to 363.25 million DWT, which means a 54.9% increase compared to the corresponding period of last year. Currently, 71.2% of total global ship orders fall to the share of Chinese shipbuilding enterprises. In the second quarter alone, the order book increased by approximately 41 million DWT.
China maintains its absolute supremacy in global maritime shipping particularly in three main vessel segments. More than 80% of global orders for bulk carriers, container ships, and oil tankers are directed precisely to Chinese shipyards.
At the same time, in the category of “green ships” equipped with environmentally friendly technologies, China continues to capture more than 68% of global maritime orders, maintaining its stable position in this area over the past three years.
