Ship Dismantling Falls to a 50-Year Low as the Aging Fleet Surges

Clarksons Research data show that only 273 ships, totaling about 5.5 million gross tons (about 8 million deadweight tons), were dismantled worldwide in the first nine months of 2026. The number fell 13% year over year, 60% below the typical level in the 2000s and 2010s. For five consecutive years, shipbreaking volume has remained below 0.5% of the global fleet’s total gross tonnage, marking the longest slump since the early 1970s.