Global newbuilding orders fell 23.7% year on year to 4.20m CGT in August as Chinese shipyards captured 85.4% of contracting, according to Clarksons Research.
A total of 125 vessels were ordered during the month, down 43.4% from 221 ships a year earlier. Chinese yards secured 3.59m CGT across 107 vessels, despite their order volume falling 14.8% year on year. Their global share climbed to 85.4% from 76.4% in August 2025.
South Korean shipbuilders booked 310,000 CGT across 10 vessels, down 53% year on year, leaving them with a 7.3% share. Japanese yards secured 150,000 CGT across five ships, or 3.7% of the global total.
The gap between China and South Korea widened to a record 78.1 percentage points. China had held 84% of the market in July against South Korea’s 14%, after taking about 85% in June. Tanker orders rose 76.1% year on year and LPG carrier contracting increased 43.7%, while LNG carrier orders dropped 72.1%.
Global orders reached 59.72m CGT across 2,128 vessels in the first eight months of 2026, up 60.6% from 37.19m CGT a year earlier. Chinese yards accounted for 45.39m CGT, or 76% of January-August orders, with volume up 95.4% year on year. South Korea secured 9.38m CGT, or 15.7%, after a 54.4% increase.
The global orderbook stood at 216.43m CGT at the end of August, up 1.05m CGT from a month earlier. China held 145.39m CGT, or 67.2%, while South Korea had 37.96m CGT, equivalent to 17.5%.
The Clarksons Newbuilding Price Index rose 0.85 points in August to 186.34. Benchmark prices stood at about $248.5m for a 174,000-cbm LNG carrier, $131m for a VLCC and $254m for a 22,000-24,000-TEU containership.
Clarksons Research is the data and analytics arm of Clarksons, providing shipping, trade and shipbuilding intelligence through services including the Shipping Intelligence Network and World Fleet Register.