China exported 187 high‑end liquid cargo ships worth over $9.49 billion in first five months of 2026
Shipbuilding has always been a barometer of a country's industrial strength. When it comes to vessels for transporting liquefied natural gas and crude oil, they are no longer just ships — they are high‑tech engineering complexes embodying cutting‑edge research and precision manufacturing. The near‑tripling of Chinese exports in this category over the year is evidence that China is confidently entering the ranks of global leaders not only in quantity but also in quality, offering the market sophisticated products with high added value.
According to the latest data, in the first five months of 2026, China exported 187 high‑end liquid cargo ships worth over 64.3 billion yuan (about 9.49 billion US dollars), up 188.8% year‑on‑year. Liquid cargo ships are specifically designed for transporting crude oil and liquefied natural gas (LNG) and are among the highest‑value‑added vessel categories in the maritime industry. Recently, two large LNG carriers, each with a capacity of 174,000 cubic metres, were officially delivered in Shanghai. They were built by Hudong‑Zhonghua Shipbuilding (Group) Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of the China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC). "Our clients are leading global oil and gas companies. Our current order book for LNG carriers accounts for more than 20% of the global market, and we can generally deliver one vessel per month," said Wang Jiaying, deputy general manager of the shipbuilding group. Over the same period, the country exported a total of 2,637 ships worth over 170 billion yuan (about 25.09 billion US dollars), up 22.5% year‑on‑year.
China's shipbuilding industry has traditionally held a leading position globally in terms of production volume. However, the growth in exports of high‑tech LNG and oil carriers reflects structural changes in the sector: the country is moving from mass production to complex, knowledge‑intensive orders. Hudong‑Zhonghua, a flagship of Chinese shipbuilding, has been building LNG carriers for over a decade and is one of the few shipyards in the world capable of producing such complex vessels. As CCTV+ reports. Further capacity expansion and technological development will allow China to strengthen its position in the global high‑end shipbuilding market.
