China's shipbuilding industry has achieved rapid growth in three key indicators during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, maintaining its global leadership, according to the latest data released by the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry.
By the end of June 2025, during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's shipbuilding industry secured 64.2% of global new ship orders, a 15.1 percentage point increase compared to the 13th Five-Year Plan period. This further consolidates China's position as a major shipbuilding nation, with its global market share ranking first for 16 consecutive years.
In terms of ship completion, China accounted for 51.7% of the world's total. Measured by compensated gross tonnage (CGT), which reflects ship prices and output value, China's share reached 47.2%, marking increases of 8.6 and 11 percentage points, respectively, compared to the end of the 13th Five-Year Plan period.
Li Yanqing, Secretary-General of the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry, stated, "A notable feature of the past five years is the significant progress we have made in intelligent and high-end products. We have introduced a series of green products, many of which are global pioneers."
During the 14th Five-Year Plan period, China's shipbuilding industry delivered a range of high-end vessels, including a 300,000-ton very large crude carrier (VLCC), dual-fuel powered roll-on/roll-off (ro-ro) ships, and the first domestically built large cruise ship, the "Adora Magic City." Currently, at Shanghai Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, the construction of the second domestically built large cruise ship is 85% complete.
Chen Gang, Chairman of China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) Waigaoqiao Shipbuilding, announced that the second domestically built large cruise ship is set to undergo sea trials in May 2026 and will be delivered in December 2026.
With both quantity and quality on the rise, the profitability of Chinese shipbuilding enterprises has significantly improved. By June 2025, the profit margin of revenue for major shipbuilding enterprises in China reached 9.71%, hitting a record high.
