According to the data released by the Japan Ship Exporters' Association (JSEA), Japanese new export ship orders in January this year decreased 46 percent on tonnage basis compared to the previous month of December, to 13 ships totaling 650,100 gross tons, consisting of one ore carrier, one LPG carrier and 11 bulk carriers.
In 2011, Japanese shipbuilders' order books for export totaled 218 ships, with a total gross tonnage of 8.96 million, falling by 19.6 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in the first month of 2012, Japan delivered 42 ships totaling 1.8 million gross tons for export, increasing from 19 ships totaling 899,244 gross tons recorded in December last year. In 2011, Japan delivered 356 ships for export, totaling 16.4 million gross tons, down 6.5 percent compared to 2010.