China now accounts for nearly three quarters of global containership capacity on order, cementing its dominance in the sector, reports London's Lloyd's List.

According to Alphaliner, Chinese shipyards hold 73.7 per cent of the global boxship orderbook, representing 7.36 million TEU. The global backlog has surpassed 10 million TEU, or 31.1 per cent of the active fleet.

South Korea follows with 20.5 per cent of capacity on order, or 2.04 million TEU, while Japan holds 4.3 per cent, or 430,000 TEU. Together, the three East Asian nations account for 98.5 per cent of all new containership capacity on order.

Orders outside East Asia remain rare and are often driven by geopolitical or regulatory factors. Taiwan's CSBC is building 12 methanol dual-fuel ships for Wan Hai Lines, with options for four more.

Evergreen is reportedly preparing to order 14 LNG dual-fuel, 14,000-TEU ships, split between Guangzhou Shipyard International and Samsung Heavy Industries. The carrier has historically placed fewer orders in China than its peers.

In Turkey, Sedef shipyard is building two 4,000-TEU ships for Turkon Line and two 650- TEU feeders for A2B-online. India's Cochin Shipyard is constructing two 730-TEU hybrid-propulsion ships for Samskip and may build six LNG-fuelled ships for CMA CGM.

In the US, Matson has ordered three 3,600-TEU gas-fuelled ships from HanwhaPhilly Shipyard. These vessels, built under Jones Act requirements, cost around five times more than similar ships from China.