Many shipbuilders are anxious about 'new order drought' persisting during recent months. Shipbuilding market has been depressed, contracts having been halved to 1,214 vessels of a combined 50m gt in 2011 y-o-y.

Builders would have to wisely overcome the crisis, as delivery postponement, contractual change and cancellation seem to edge up again by troubled shipping market and withered ship financing.

Meanwhile, according to Clarkson Research, Hyundai Heavy Industries made the world largest delivery of 91 vessels of 3.191m cgt in 2011, including 82 vessels of 2.914m cgt from Ulsan yard and nine vessels of 0.277m cgt from Gunsan yard.

Samsung Heavy Industries' Geojae yard and Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering's Okpo yard delivered a total of 73 vessels of 2.932m cgt and 55 vessels of 2.639m cgt, respectively, last year.

Hyundai Samho Heavy Industries output 49 vessels of 1.744m cgt, while Hyundai Mipo Dockyard 78 vessels of 1.414m cgt, STX Offshore & Shipbuilding's Jinhae yard 45 vessels of 1.165m cgt and Sungdong Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering 34 vessels of 0.937m cgt.

Clarkson report said that Hyundai with Hyundai Samho contracted the largest newbuilding of 78 vessels or 3.684m cgt in 2011.

Daewoo (three yards) booked 68 vessels of 3.339m cgt, Samsung 54 vessels of 2.963m cgt, STX (15) 64 vessels of 1.653m cgt, Hyundai Mipo (two) 55 vessels of 1.041m cgt, Sungdong 34 vessels of 1.122m cgt and SPP Shipbuilding (three) won 38 vessels of 0.659m cgt last year.

Meanwhile, overall newbuilding contracted in 2011 is estimated to $90.4bn, down by 9.7% from $100.1bn from 2010. World new order reached its peak in 2007 with $269.4bn, however, it fell to $178.8bn in 2008, $40.4bn in 2009.

New order placement from owners in Europe and Asia cut down by 3.6% and 46.4% each, while those in the US and Brazil's contracted newbuilding amount rose by 176% and 313%, respectively.

Last year bulker and tanker orders dwindled, while order for high-value vessels, such as drillship, LNG carrier, ultra-large boxship, etc., increased. US owners booked 17 drillships and Brazilian seven last year.

Owners from Greece made the largest amount of contract in 2011, $12.6bn, followed by $8.9bn from Norway, $6.9bn from Denmark, $3.4bn from Germany.

Those from the US and Brazil placed orders totalling $15.8bn and $5.8bn each last year.

Meanwhile, newbuilding contracted from China remained at $5.3bn, sharply decreased by 64% y-o-y, while Singapore, Japan and Hong Kong stood at $4.8bn, $2.9bn and $2.8bn, respectively.