Asian shipowners taking the lead
According to the analysis in Clarksons latest weekly report, the tonnage of the global fleet operated by Chinese shipowners has surpassed the tonnage of European fleets for the first time. The Asian part of the global fleet accounts for 43% of the total, with 48,472 vessels and 637 million gt, whilst European shipowners account for 42%, with 30,610 ships and 630 million gt.
At the beginning of this century, European shipowners controlled 44% of the world merchant fleet (in gt), whilst Asians accounted for 32%. For Clarksons, Chinese shipowners have been the key promoters of increasing Asian tonnage. They’ve doubled their controlled fleet over the last decade, going from 111 million gt to 226 million, to become the second-largest fleet in the world by the nationality of its owners. The Chinese fleet represents 15% of the total world fleet, thanks to orders for newbuildings.
The fleet controlled by Japanese shipowners, for its part, has grown by 16%, to 177 million gt, which represents a 12% share of the world fleet. In Europe, Greek shipowners have increased their fleet by 70% in the last ten years, reaching a total of 246 million gt, which represents 17% of the total world fleet. (cd)