China has maintained its dominant position in the global shipbuilding industry across all major metrics, output, new orders, and backlog, during the first three quarters of 2025, according to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).
From January to September 2025, the country’s completed shipbuilding output rose 6 per cent year-on-year to 38.53 million deadweight tons (DWT). Meanwhile, new orders reached 66.6 million DWT, and the order backlog climbed 25.3 per cent to 242.24 million DWT by the end of September.
China’s global market share remained unmatched, accounting for 53.8% of total completed output, 67.3% of new orders, and 65.2% of order backlog. When measured in compensated gross tonnage (CGT), its shares stood at 47.3%, 63.5%, and 58.6%, respectively.
The China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI) reported that the ongoing 14th Five-Year Plan (2021–2025) has driven sustained growth across all indicators, with the sector achieving major milestones, including the delivery of high-end vessels such as 300,000-ton very large crude carriers (VLCCs), dual-fuel car carriers, and China’s first domestically built large cruise ship, Adora Magic City. Construction of the second large cruise ship at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding is now 85 per cent complete.
The sector’s profitability has also reached new highs, with leading shipbuilders recording a 9.71 per cent profit margin as of June 2025, the highest ever.
With innovation, quality, and profitability rising in tandem, China’s shipbuilding industry is not just leading the world in volume, it’s redefining global standards in maritime engineering.
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