A tangible signal of this rebalancing is the September data, in which they were almost equal for new orders, with 39% and 40% of the total respectively
Seoul – The South Korean shipbuilding industry recorded a sharp reversal of trend in 2025, recovering a significant share of the global market, historically the preserve of China. According to data for the first nine months of the year, released by the Seoul Ministry of Commerce and based on Clarksons surveys, South Korean shipyards have nearly doubled their annual market share in new construction orders compared to 2024, reaching 25.9%. This increase is particularly evident in the face of a general cooling of the global market, which saw overall orders decrease by 44% in September compared to the previous year.
The Korean recovery is largely attributed to growing geopolitical uncertainty and, in particular, to the United States’ plan to impose new port fees on ships built, owned, or operated by Chinese companies. These fears are reportedly pushing several international shipowners to redirect orders to South Korea to mitigate risks related to future US trade policies. A tangible signal of this rebalancing is the September data, in which South Korea and China were almost equal for new orders, with 39% and 40% of the total respectively.
The South Korean Ministry highlighted that domestic shipyards have won a double volume of orders for high value-added ships compared to Chinese rivals, consolidating their leadership in technologically advanced segments such as gas carriers (LNG and LPG) and latest-generation container ships. Although China maintains a clear superiority in the backlog, South Korea is confident it can recover further ground as the US anti-China trade policy materializes, seizing the opportunity to reaffirm its competitiveness based on high technology and specialization.
