On October 23, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology released statistical data on the national shipbuilding industry from January to September 2026. Three key indicators of the shipbuilding industry continue to lead globally, and China's shipbuilding industry remains the dominant force in the global market.
Latest data shows that from January to September 2026, China’s completed shipbuilding capacity reached 58.05 million deadweight tons, a year-on-year increase of 50.7%. The number of new orders received amounted to 175.29 million deadweight tons, a year-on-year increase of 163.2%. As of the end of September, the number of outstanding orders stood at 399.13 million deadweight tons, a year-on-year increase of 64.8%. China’s completed shipbuilding capacity, new orders, and outstanding orders account for 63.6%, 81.8%, and 72.4% of the global market share respectively.
According to The South China Morning Post, analysts say the global shipbuilding market will remain strong, and it is expected that China will continue to enjoy the largest share of benefits.
According to research reports released by Guotai Haotong Securities analysts in September, container ships remain the most popular type of vessels, accounting for 39.8% of the total global orders to date this year. Meanwhile, orders for super-large oil carriers (VLCC) have seen a significant increase, with European shipowners being the main players driving this demand.
The report indicates that among the 930 super-large oil tankers in global service, 21% have been in operation for more than 20 years. Such tankers are typically decommissioned after 20 to 25 years of service. The need to update old tankers, combined with rising fuel prices, has driven the demand for replacement orders.
The report indicates that the expansion of shipbuilding capacity is relatively steady and controlled, which provides support for this round of long-term economic prosperity.
According to a research report by Yao Pei, chief strategist at Huachuang Securities, in mid-October, the industry's prosperous trend will continue. With its competitive advantages, Chinese shipbuilders are expected to further increase their global share.
In addition, the order volume for green-powered ships in China's shipbuilding industry has also grown significantly. Data from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology shows that the share of international market for new orders of green-powered ships in China reached 74.1%, which is a 5.7 percentage point increase compared to January to June.
