China's shipbuilding leads global market as three key indicators surge

(ECNS) -- China's shipbuilding industry posted strong growth in the first half of 2026, with ship completions, new orders and outstanding backlogs all rising sharply, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said Thursday. 

Completions reached 36.5 million metric tons DWT, up 51.2% year on year and accounting for 62.2% of global output.

New orders surged 173.1% to 121.06 million metric tons DWT, representing 82.3% of the world total. Outstanding orders stood at 363.25 million metric tons DWT, a 54.9% increase, making up 71.2% of global backlogs.

The figures underscore China’s dominant position in the global shipbuilding market.

(By Helen Mo, intern Xu Wenda)