China Cosco Shipping can now add the title of the world’s largest newbuilding orderbook to that of the world’s largest shipowner.
The state-owned behemoth recently took over the top spot from struggling cruiseship giant Carnival Corp, statistics from Clarksons Research show.
China Cosco Shipping is said to currently have a newbuilding tally of 68 ships of 2.4m cgt, according to the research division of UK-based shipbroker Clarksons.
Last week, TradeWinds reported that China Cosco Shipping was in talks with domestic shipbuilders for 10 newcastlemax newbuildings.
It is said to have approached Cosco Shipping Heavy Industry Yangzhou Shipyard on an exclusive basis for the series of 210,000-dwt vessels.
China Cosco Shipping Bulk already has 10 similar vessels under construction at the same yard for delivery from the first half of 2021.
Second placed Carnival Corp has a total of 16 ships on order of 2.2m cgt as of the end of July. Cruise lines feature heavily among the top 10 owners with the largest newbuilding orderbooks.
Royal Caribbean Group is in fourth place with 13 ships of 1.7m cgt, while Genting Hong Kong is seventh with 12 ships of 1.2m cgt. Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings is 10th with nine ships of 1.1m cgt.
Coronavirus fallout
However, it remains unclear whether this will continue to be the case as they contend with the fallout from the coronavirus pandemic and its impact on cruise demand among the general public.
Container lines are also among the top 10 owners by orderbook, with Mediterranean Shipping Co in third place with 15 ships of 1.9m cgt, Evergreen Marine in sixth spot with 24 ships of 1.3m cgt and HMM in eighth place with 15 ships of 1.1m cgt.
The top 10 owners with the world’s largest orderbooks are rounded out by Imabari Shipbuilding in fifth place with 51 ships of 1.7m cgt inked for its own account and the Angelicoussis Group in ninth place with 16 ships of 1.1m cgt.
Just outside the top 10 are Eastern Pacific Shipping with 26 ships, NYK Line with 19 ships and John Fredriksen group companies with 22 ships all of 1m cgt.
By country, Japan a major supplier of tonnage has the largest orderbook with 522 ships of 10.8m cgt on order, according to Clarksons.
China runs its Asian shipbuilding neighbour a close second with 496 ships of 10.5m cgt on order. Greece is a distant third with 167 ships of 7.4m cgt.
The US is in fourth place with 116 ships of 7.2m cgt, and South Korea rounds out the top five with 139 ships of 4.8m cgt.
The next five largest orderbooks are held by Singapore, Italy, Norway, Taiwan and Malaysia.
The global total as of the end of July 2020 was 2,831 ships of 70.8m cgt. This compares with 3,172 ships of 78.9m cgt 12 months earlier.
