China sees LNG tanker orderbooks swell: China-based shipyards are slated for a record year as demand for LNG tankers surge, contrary to China's economic downturn, Bloomberg reports. Shipyard incomes have doubled in the first five months of 2025, with industry giant Hudong-Zhonghua shipyard’s orderbook reaching CNY 150 bn for 60 vessels slated for delivery by 2031. Chinese manufacturers have cut the construction time for LNG tankers in half to 15 months, largely by sourcing 80% of their components locally, Bloomberg reports, citing Chinese state media.

Against the odds: The uptick comes as a surprise, following a proposed fee by the Trump administration on China-built and China-flagged vessels earlier this year that several industry analysts predicted would undermine demand on China-builds. The fee — USD 50 per net ton — was reportedly slated to upend global shippers — namely Maersk and the Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC) — unless they took costly steps to diversify away from China. Earlier reports suggested that South Korean shipyards — which have floated the idea of building LNG tankers on US soil as a way to hedge against the proposed fee — were slated to pick up some of China’s market share as a result of the US fees.

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