Chinese shipbuilders accounted for 65 percent of global orders by deadweight tonnage in the first three quarters of 2025, down from 75 percent last year, according to a report by the South China Morning Post.
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Data from shipping services provider Clarksons showed orders for Chinese-built vessels totaled 10.5 million tonnes in the three months to September, down 61 percent from 26.9 million tonnes a year earlier. Industry officials say Chinese shipyards, faced with the drop in orders, plan to divert more capacity to newer, more advanced vessels to maintain profitability. They face increasing challenges from their South Korean counterparts.
“The global economy and the shipbuilding industry have entered a new cycle where growth is slowing and uncertainties are increasing,” said Xing Wenhua, president of the Shanghai Association of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers. Chinese shipyards have shown their flexibility and contribute to stability in the world [shipbuilding] supply chain.”
Geopolitical tensions were cited as a factor in the decrease in orders. Earlier this year, the United States threatened to impose port duties on Chinese ships amid an escalating trade war. In October, the Trump administration imposed a $50 per net ton tax on Chinese ships, before Beijing retaliated by paying US ships 400 yuan (US$57) per net ton. Beijing and Washington agreed to reduce punitive tariffs after reaching a truce in the trade war at the end of October.
Source: IndexBox Market Intelligence Platform
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