More than 67 per cent of this tonnage is scheduled for delivery by the end of 1994.

Of the total order book, 16 million gt (1,189 ships) was under construction, down 720,000 gt from the end of June.

Orders not commenced totalled 21.9 million gt (999 ships), an increase of 3.5 million gt.

Completions during the September quarter amounted to 4.7 million gt (390 ships), compared with 4.1 million gt in the previous quarter.

In the lead among shipbuilding nations, Japan accounted for 29.2 per cent and South Korea for 26.8 per cent of the total.

Japan's order book of 11 million gt represented a small increase, up 48,000 gt, from the previous quarter.

Tonnage under construction totalled 5.9 million gt, down 719,000 gt, and orders not commenced amounted to 5.1 million gt, up 767,000 gt.

South Korea increased its order book by 2.9 million gt to a total of 10.1 million gt.

Of this, 2.1 million gt was under construction - down 138,000 gt - while orders not commenced amounted to eight million gt, up three million gt.

Of the Korean order book, 4.2 million gt is scheduled for delivery in 1994, 4.5 million gt in 1995 and 141,000 gt in 1996.

Of other ship-building countries, Germany, Denmark, Italy and Croatia recorded significant increases in order books, while those for Taiwan, Poland, Brazil, Russia and Ukraine decreased.

In terms of ship types, at 14 million gt, or 37 per cent, tanker tonnage still made up the biggest part of the total order book and showed an increase of 54,000 gt.

Oil tankers under construction totalled 6.3 million gt - down 1.1 million gt - with orders not commenced amounting to 7.7 million gt, up 1.2 million gt.

South Korea had 5.5 million gt, Japan 4.1 million gt and Denmark 1.1 million gt of the total tanker order book.

However, the proportion of bulk carrier tonnage of the total continued to increase.

Up by 1.5 million gt in the third quarter, bulk carrier tonnage at 10.4 million gt represented 27.5 per cent of the world order book, compared with 25.6 per cent at the end of June and 23.7 per cent at the end of March.

Tonnage under construction at the end of September totalled 3.3 million gt, down 83,000 gt, and orders not commenced 7.1 million gt, up 1.5 million gt.

Of the bulk-carrier order book, Japanese yards accounted for 3.5 million gt, Korea for 2.6 million gt and China for 1.4 million gt.

General cargo tonnage represented 7.4 million gt or 19.5 per cent of the order book, an increase of 870,000 gt.

Container tonnage made up 5.4 million gt, 72.6 per cent of the total general cargo tonnage.

The liquefied gas carrier order book totalled 2.5 million gt, of which 45 per cent is being built in Japan.

Passenger ships amounted to 968,000 gt and ferries to 400,000 gt.

Other notable completions included the 4,422 TEU (20 ft equivalent unit) container ship Essen Express, built in Korea; the 165.239 deadweight tonne (dwt) Polish-built bulk carrier Jean L.D., and the largest ship delivered from a European yard; the 50,700gt luxury cruise ship Costa Romantic, built in Italy.

Other feautures are the 625,000 cubic ft capacity refrigerated cargo ship Albemarle Island, the first in a series of five reefer ships employing ammonia refrigerating machinery being built in Denmark; and the Mercury Diamond, a 47.171 gt car carrier built in Japan.