Still Number One
South Korea’s leading shipbuilding companies have the five largest backlogs of orders, despite suffering from their worst-ever deficits.
According to British maritime market researcher Clarkson Research Services on Nov. 19, Daewoo Shipbuilding and Marine Engineering (DSME)’s Okpo shipyard had the largest backlog in the world, with 131 ships amounting to 8.44 million CGT waiting to be built as of the end of October.
This shipyard had the largest backlog of ships last November, and has remained in the top spot since. The DSME posted 3 trillion won (US$2.58 billion) in deficits in the second quarter due to losses from offshore plant orders, and more than 1 trillion won (US$859.11 million) in operating losses in the third quarter, running the emergency management system.
Hyundai Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Ulsan ranked second, with 111 ships with 5.28 million CGT, followed by Samsung Heavy Industries’ shipyard in Geoje with 91 ships amounting to 5.08 million CGT. Hyundai Heavy Industries Group subsidiary Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries took the fourth spot, with 89 ships and 3.85 million CGT, and Hyundai Mipo Dockyard took fifth with 131 ships with 2.93 million CGT.
Shanghai Waigaoqiao came in sixth with 72 ships with 2.54 million CGT, Hudong-Zhonghua Shipbuilding in seventh with 51 ships with 2.26 million CGT, Zangshu New YZJ in eight with 90 ships with 2.21 million CGT, Eehbari SB Marugame in ninth with 45 ships with 1.84 million CGT, and Dalian Shipbuilding in tenth with 42 ships with 1.73 million CGT. Chinese shipbuilders placed between sixth and tenth, except for Japan’s Eehbari SB Marugame.