According to the data released by the Japan Ship Exporters' Association (JSEA), Japanese new ship export orders in April this year declined by almost half on tonnage basis compared to the previous month, decreasing to 10 ships totaling 515,768 gross tons, consisting of one tanker and nine bulk carriers. In April 2011, Japan's new ship export orders totaled 22 ships with 912,142 gross tons.
At the end of the first four months of the current year, Japanese shipbuilders' order books for export totaled 55 ships, with a total tonnage of 2.68 million gross tons, falling by 32.3 percent year on year.
Meanwhile, in April, Japan delivered 39 ships totaling 1.8 million gross tons for export, increasing from 36 ships totaling 1.75 million gross tons recorded in March this year. In the first four months of this year, Japan delivered 144 ships for export, totaling 6.4 million gross tons, remaining almost stable compared to the corresponding period of 2011.