by Manal Barakat, SeaNewsEditor

After a sharp decline in orders in the second quarter of 2025, the Chinese shipbuilding sector has recovered its market share in the third quarter.

According to Lloyd’s List, 75% of orders placed by vessel number in Q3 2025 were won by Chinese shipyards.

This marks a notable increase from the 51% share in the previous quarter, which had been affected by the USTR's threat of port fees on vessels constructed in China.

Lloyd's List further reports that Greece was the most active in contracting new vessels during this period. Nearly 21% of the total orders were made by Greek shipowners, who focused on ordering feeder vessels of below 5,000 TEU.

Chinese shipowners were second on the list, ordering a market share of 19%. Taiwanese shipowners were also active, securing 9% of all vessels ordered worldwide.

While some analysts note that shipping companies are largely not making changes to their ordering policies, others express concerns that the US port fee could lead to a shift in orders from China to South Korea and Japan.

Speaking to the Financial Times, Hitoshi Nagasawa, Head of the Japanese Shipowners’ Association, said using China as the only source for shipbuilding is risky.

"There will definitely be a shift where those who have previously ordered 100% of their ships from China may order 60-70% from China and 40% from Japan or South Korea,” he adds.

The US Trade Representative has announced that the port fee will come into effect on 14 October 2025, potentially costing Chinese ships up to USD 2.5 million to call at US ports.