Posted on January 12, 2026
China retained its position as the world’s top shipbuilder in 2025, but its market share declined for the first time in five years as US threats to impose port fees on Chinese-linked vessels sparked market turbulence.
Chinese shipyards secured 35.4 million compensated gross tonnage (CGT) of new vessel orders last year, down 35 per cent compared with 2024, the Chinese maritime news outlet eworldship.com reported on Thursday, citing data from shipping consultancy Clarksons.
China’s shipbuilders also saw their global market share fall from 70 per cent in 2024 to 63 per cent last year – the first such drop recorded in half a decade, the report said.
But the industry’s third-biggest player, Japan, saw new vessel orders plummet by nearly 53 per cent year on year to 2.8 million CGT in 2025, giving it a global market share of about 5 per cent.
Clarksons pointed to the US restrictions as a major factor behind the decline in business at China’s shipyards, noting that Chinese firms faced “unprecedented challenges from non-market factors” in 2025.
China continued to dominate orders of bulk carriers and container ships, and secured more oil tanker contracts than South Korea, while South Korean shipbuilders led in gas tanker orders, the report said.
South Korea’s shipyards are now focusing on liquefied natural gas carriers and naval vessels to sustain profitability, Korea JoongAng Daily reported on Thursday.
Faced with intensifying competition from China and South Korea, Japan is taking steps to bolster its industry, including merging its two largest shipbuilders.
The nation’s market leader, Imabari Shipbuilding, has now completed its acquisition of second-ranked peer Japan Marine United, Nikkei reported on Wednesday. Imabari said the merger would help it accelerate the construction of vessels powered by alternative fuels, such as LNG.
