Hengli Petrochemical’s shipyard secured the top position in global containership orders in July, capturing 7.9% of the market compared with 5.7% at the start of 2026, according to Bank of America’s August shipyard data report.
The company’s orderbook share expanded to 6.4% in July, up 0.8 percentage points from June, as it finalized approximately 31 new vessel orders from July through mid-August alone. The surge contributed to Hengli’s total of roughly 199 vessel orders placed since the start of 2026, reinforcing its position as a leading player in the sector.
China’s dominance in shipbuilding orders remained pronounced, with domestic shipyards accounting for 81% of all orders placed globally in July. However, the broader market showed signs of contraction, with global new vessel orders declining 22% year-over-year in July to 3.6 million compensated gross tons. Year-to-date through mid-August, total order volume reached 50.9 million compensated gross tons, equivalent to 87% of the full-year 2025 total.
Tanker orders emerged as the primary driver of growth, rising 25% year-over-year, while large containerships of 8,000 TEU or more saw a 3% increase. In contrast, bulk carrier orders fell 30% year-over-year. The global orderbook expanded by 11% in volume and 13% in value compared with the same period last year, though newbuild prices in August narrowed to within 2% of their 2024 peak and turned flat year-over-year.
China’s newbuild price index rose 3% year-over-year in July, while the shipyard forward cover extended to 4.28 years in August from 4.26 years in July. Hudong-Zhonghua, another major Chinese shipyard, announced plans to expand capacity in August, focusing on liquefied natural gas carriers.
The data underscores Hengli’s rapid ascent in the containership segment amid a mixed global order environment, where tanker demand offset broader declines in bulk and smaller containership segments.
