Overview

• The U.S. Trade Representative has imposed port entry fees on Chinese shipping companies and operators of Chinese-built vessels, incentivizing a shift of new orders to South Korean shipyards.
• South Korea's order share by compensated gross tons rose to 25.1% in the first half of 2025, up from 17.2% a year earlier, according to the Export-Import Bank of Korea.
• Hanwha Ocean Co. swung to a second-quarter net profit of 148.5 billion won from a loss a year earlier, and Samsung Heavy Industries posted 204.8 billion won in operating profit, its highest quarterly result since 2014.
• Global new ship orders contracted 54.5% to 19.39 million CGT in H1, while South Korea's order volume fell 33.5% to 4.87 million CGT year-on-year.
• Analysts warn that the recent gains largely reflect U.S.-China trade tensions and urge Korean yards to narrow the quality gap with Chinese competitors to sustain long-term competitiveness.