Korea reclaims top spot in global shipbuilding orders in February
South Korean shipbuilders reclaimed the global No. 1 position last month for the first time since October 2023 in terms of new orders, according to UK-based Clarksons Research’s data on Wednesday.
The global shipbuilding orders signed in February reached 3.4 million compensated gross tons (CGTs), up 18% from a year ago. Korean shipbuilders made up 50% of the global CGTs, followed by China’s 41%.
By number of ships, China won global orders for 59 ships, while Korea secured 28 units.
As of the end of February, the globally ordered ships yet to be built reached 125.9 million CGTs. Chinese shipbuilders topped with 50% of the figure, followed by Korean rivals with 31%.
Clarksons’ newbuild price index went up 11% on-year to 181.45 on Wednesday.
By average price per vessel, a liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier with more than 174,000 cubic meters costs $265 million. The tanker was followed by large container ship with $237 million and very large crude carriers (VLCC) with $128 million.
