South Korea vs. China The Battle For Container Shipbuilding Dominance

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The global container shipping industry is witnessing a dramatic shift in shipbuilding leadership. While South Korea has long held dominance in building high-capacity vessels, China is rapidly overtaking in terms of new orders.

According to recent data from Alphaliner, China’s shipyards now account for over 72% of the global container ship orderbook by vessel count, signaling a new era in maritime manufacturing power.

Current Fleet: South Korea Leads in Capacity, China in Numbers

South Korea remains the backbone of the in-service container fleet, with 50.2% of current global TEU (Twenty-foot Equivalent Unit) capacity built by its shipyards. China, while trailing in capacity at 29.1%, has already surpassed Korea in terms of number of vessels, with 38.1% of ships compared to South Korea’s 32%.

This suggests that South Korea tends to focus on building fewer but larger and more advanced vessels, while China is producing a higher volume of medium-sized ships.

Orderbook: China Surges Ahead with Future Fleet Dominance

When it comes to future construction, China is leading by a wide margin. The orderbook for container ships reveals that:

  • 71.9% of TEU capacity on order is set to be built in China

  • 72.3% of vessels (by count) are also contracted to Chinese shipyards

  • In contrast, South Korea holds just 22.1% of the capacity and 19.4% of the vessel count

These figures reflect China’s aggressive investment in scaling up shipyard capabilities and attracting global shipping clients.

Future Projections: A Narrowing Gap in Capacity

Projecting five years ahead (excluding the impact of new orders or vessel scrapping), South Korea will still slightly lead in total capacity with 18.3 million TEU, but China will be close behind with 16.3 million TEU. If current trends continue, China could surpass South Korea in both volume and capacity shortly after.

This evolving balance could reshape global shipbuilding contracts, supply chain strategies, and even geopolitical influence within maritime trade.

The global container shipbuilding race is entering a new phase. South Korea remains strong, especially in advanced, high-capacity vessels, but China is quickly catching up — and even dominating — in sheer volume and future orders. As the world watches this shift unfold, the next five years will be pivotal in determining which nation becomes the definitive powerhouse in global shipbuilding.

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Source: Alphaliner