E. SHIPBUILDING, DEMOLITION AND
NEW ORDERS
1. Deliveries of newbuildings
Three countries (China, the Republic of Korea and
Japan) together built 92 per cent of the world’s new
tonnage (GT) in 2012, with China alone accounting
for more than 40 per cent. Almost 57 per cent of the
tonnage delivered in 2012 was on dry-bulk ships,
followed by oil tankers (18.4 per cent) and container
ships (14.4 per cent) (figure 2.8 and table 2.8). This
is a significantly different picture from just six years
ago. In 2006, the Republic of Korea was the largest
shipbuilder, followed by Japan. China and Europe
each had a market share of about 15 per cent.
Shipbuilders also specialize in different vessel types.
While China and Japan have mostly built dry-bulk
carriers, the Republic of Korea had a far higher share
in container ships and oil tankers, and European
and other regions’ yards had a somewhat higher
share among the offshore and passenger vessels. In
addition to bulk carriers, Japan is also focusing on
other specialized ships, including gas and car carriers.
The four largest individual shipbuilding groups are from
the Republic of Korea; shipbuilding in China is spread
among a larger number of individual shipbuilders.
Even more so than ships, sea containers are almost
exclusively built in China. Low production costs and
the need for empty boxes to transport Chinese exports
made China the natural location for setting up factories
for the construction of containers. Interestingly, at
the end of 2013, a new factory for reefer containers
is scheduled to open in San Antonio, Chile. Maersk