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South Korean shipbuilders received 7.98 million compensated gross tons (CGTs) out of the global total of 17.92 million CGTs new orders as of Dec. 28 last year to rank first worldwide, according to global market researcher Clarkson Research Service.
Chinese shipbuilders came in second with 6.73 million CGTs.
The tally doesn't include orders for 17 liquefied natural gas (LNG) carriers awarded to Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering Co. and Samsung Heavy Industries Co., translating into some 1.45 million CGTs.
The LNG orders are strongly expected to secure the first place in global new ship orders for South Korea for the third consecutive year.
South Korean shipyards struggled to clinch orders till June last year with Chinese shipbuilders outpacing them by 3.51 million CGTs to 1.18 million CGTs in the first half.
A think tank affiliated with the Export-Import Bank of Korea offered a rosy outlook for South Korean shipyards, expecting them to clinch new orders of 9.8 million CGTs this year, up 134 percent from last year.
