Page 74 - ΝΑΥΤΙΚΑ ΧΡΟΝΙΚΑ - ΣΕΠΤΕΜΒΡΙΟΣ 2022

Levels of shipbuilding group concentration by country 448 companies that manage ships built by the top 15,
The fact that the top 15 shipbuilding groups have built 154 (or 34%) manage ships constructed exclusively by
69% of the fleet exemplifies the increasing concentration one of the top 15. It should be noted that although their
within the shipbuilding industry. However, the concentra- fleets may consist of ships also built by other shipyards/
tion levels in the three countries examined are different. shipbuilding groups, these do not belong to the list of
In the case of South Korea, the country’s shipyards the top 15.
among the top 15 have built approximately 89% of the At the top of this category is HD Hyundai, with the South
fleet managed by companies operating in Piraeus/Athens Korean group enjoying the proven trust of 32 companies.
constructed in that country. The corresponding figures for In second place is the gigantic China State Shipbuilding
China and Japan are 55% and 69%. Corporation, the first – and marginally only – choice for
28 companies. The Imabari Shipbuilding Group remains
The “loyalty” factor in third place with 22 companies.
At country level Of the shipping companies managing larger fleets, most
The specialisation of specific countries and shipyards in choose the South Korean giant HD Hyundai, and their
building particular types of ships has been one of the fac- fleets consist mainly of tankers and gas carriers. On the
tors determining the balance in the shipbuilding industry. other hand, those who prefer the Chinese CSSC group
In this context, the fact that many companies choose to mostly manage bulk carriers, as do the companies that
manage ships built in specific countries is indeed inter- choose the Imabari Group.
esting, although not necessarily surprising.
242 of the 448 companies in this survey are managing Figures to remember:
ships built by one of the top shipbuilding groups: 35% of
these companies operate fleets whose ships have been • The top 15 shipbuilding groups have built 3,560 (or
built mainly by South Korean shipbuilding groups. The cor- 69%) of the 5,191 ships managed by companies oper-
responding percentage for Japanese and Chinese groups ating in Piraeus/Athens
is 48% and 17%. • 1,701 (or 48%) of these 3,560 ships were constructed
Of the companies whose fleets consist of at least five by six South Korean shipbuilding groups
vessels built exclusively or mainly by South Korean groups, • Of the 137 LNG carriers built by the top 15, 132
the vast majority operate tankers and gas carriers. How- (or 96%) were built by South Korean shipbuilding
ever, most companies of this size that choose Japanese groups
shipbuilding groups manage bulk carriers. Finally, compa- • One in two commercial (51%) built by Chinese ship-
nies that significantly prefer Chinese shipbuilding groups building groups is up to ten years old
operate bulk carriers. • Eight out of ten ships (or 79%) built by Japanese
shipbuilding groups are bulk carriers.
At Group level • 242 companies operating in Piraeus/Athens strongly
Several companies operating in Piraeus/Athens seem to prefer country-specific groups, and 154 prefer spe-
prefer specific shipbuilding groups over others. Of the cific shipbuilding groups.

74