The global shipbuilding orderbook has reached an all-time high of 9,699 vessels and 435.8m gt, surpassing the previous record of 422m gt set in October 2008, according to Clarksons Research.
The backlog stood at about 24% of the existing world fleet by gross tonnage at the end of September 2026, compared with 52% when the previous peak was reached.
The global fleet totalled 117,811 vessels and about 1.8bn gt, with gross tonnage up 4% year on year.
A total of 2,806 vessels aggregating 145.2m gt were ordered in the first nine months of 2026. Clarksons said ordering was running in line with the 2007 full-year record of 173.9m gt.
Dual-fuel vessels accounted for 516 contracts, or about 18% of ships ordered during the nine-month period. They represented 44.4m gt, equivalent to just over 10% of contracting measured by gross tonnage.
Shipyards delivered 2,466 vessels totalling 66.7m gt during the period, while recycling remained at about 5.5m gt. A separate public Clarksons shipbuilding update for the same nine-month period put contracting at 2,558 ships and 70.7m cgt. The available material does not explain the difference between the two vessel counts, while the tonnage figures use different measures.
Clarksons Research is the maritime data and intelligence division of Clarksons. Its services include Shipping Intelligence Network and World Fleet Register, covering shipping, shipbuilding, trade, offshore energy and other maritime markets.
