As 2026 begins, shipbuilders from China and South Korea have remained active in the global newbuilding market. With January’s results released, Chinese shipyards have successfully secured their 10th consecutive monthly victory!
According to Clarksons data released on February 6th, global new ship orders in January 2026 totaled 5.61 million CGT (158 vessels). Measured in CGT, this represents a 27% increase compared to the same period last year (4.43 million CGT) and a 37% decrease month-on-month (December 2025: 8.91 million CGT). This data indicates a relatively steady trend in new ship orders at the beginning of 2026.
By country, Chinese shipbuilders secured new orders totaling 3.74 million CGT (106 vessels), accounting for a 67% market share and firmly holding the top position; South Korean shipbuilders received new orders totaling 1.25 million CGT (26 vessels), with a market share of 22%, ranking second; Japanese shipbuilders received only 20,000 CGT (1 vessel) in new orders, a negligible amount with a negligible market share; and shipyards from other countries collectively secured new orders totaling 600,000 CGT (25 vessels), representing an 11% market share.
Throughout 2025, based on monthly data, Chinese shipbuilders topped the rankings for 10 months: February, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December. They secured the monthly championship for nine consecutive months. By claiming the top spot again in January 2026, Chinese shipbuilders achieved a “ten-month winning streak,” marking a strong start to the new year.
New shipbuilding orders continue to show a growth trend. As of the end of January 2026, the global order book for new vesselss totaled 180.35 million CGT, a month-on-month increase of 5.07 million CGT. By country, Chinese shipbuilders held orders totaling 111.91 million CGT, an increase of 12.83 million CGT compared to the same period last year, and a month-on-month increase of 3.8 million CGT, maintaining a market share of 62% and firmly holding the top position; South Korean shipbuilders held orders totaling 36.31 million CGT, a decrease of 390,000 CGT compared to the same period last year, but a month-on-month increase of 1 million CGT, accounting for 20% of the market share and ranking second. The gap in order volume between Chinese and South Korean shipyards has further widened.
As of the end of January 2026, the Clarkson Newbuilding Price Index stood at 184.29, marking a slight decrease of 0.36 points from the previous month (184.65) and maintaining overall stability. Compared to the level in January 2021 (127.11), the index has risen by approximately 45%, indicating a sustained upward trend in ship prices.
By vessel type, the newbuilding price for a 174,000 m³-class liquefied natural gas (LNG) carrier is approximately $248 million; the newbuilding price for a very large crude carrier (VLCC) is approximately $128.5 million; and the newbuilding price for a very large container ship (22,000 TEU–24,000 TEU) is approximately $261 million.