The competitive structure of the world shipbuilding industry : competitive dynamics and marketing strategies

This paper studies both the competitive dynamics and marketing strategies of the world shipbuilding industry. There are currently over 400 shipyards building commercial ships worldwide. The world shipbuilding industry has been booming since 2004. 2007 was an incredible year with record earnings of freight for both the dry bulk and tanker sectors. In the same year, newbuilding contract levels also reached unprecedented highs. Rivalry among competing shipbuilders is the strongest of the five competitive forces defined by Porter. Asian shipbuilders dominate bulk carriers, container ships, general cargo vessels and tankers. While shipbuilding in Europe has declined in terms of relatively simple vessels, the fort is still being held in vessels which require higher technology, mostly in the offshore and cruise/passenger markets. In the Americas, U.S. and Brazil have cabotage laws which help to keep their shipbuilding market commercially viable. The outlook for the shipbuilding industry in 5 years is full of uncertainty. As with all economic cycles, every boom has a downturn, and the current boom may not last much longer.Bachelor of Science (Maritime Studies