Ships and boats: South Korea exports and imports
HS chapter 89 · 선박과 수상 구조물 · latest month: October 2026
In October 2026, South Korea exported $2.46 billion of ships and boats (HS 89), down 30.4% from September 2026 and down 46.3% from October 2025.
Over the 12 months to October 2026, exports of ships and boats (HS 89) totalled $30.79 billion, up 0.3% from the 12 months before ($30.69 billion).
The largest destination over the 12 months to October 2026 was the Marshall Islands ($8.23 billion, 26.7% of the total), followed by Singapore and Liberia.
That was 2.9% of South Korea's total goods exports over the same 12 months.
Imports in October 2026 were $459.2 million (up 33.8% from October 2025), leaving a surplus of $2.00 billion for the month.
Official description of HS 89: Ships, boats and floating structures.
Last 24 months
Headings under chapter 89
| Code | Product | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8901 | Cargo ships, tankers and passenger ships | $29.38B | 95.4% | +12.1% | $2.39B |
| 8905 | Dredgers, floating cranes, drilling platforms and floating docks | $1.08B | 3.5% | -72.3% | $3,356 |
| 8906 | Other vessels, including warships and lifeboats other than rowing boats | $264.9M | 0.9% | -48.5% | $56.1M |
| 8904 | Tugs and pusher craft | $35.5M | 0.1% | +36.4% | $8.2M |
| 8903 | Yachts and other vessels for pleasure or sports, etc. | $18.8M | 0.1% | +28.8% | $206K |
| 8907 | Other floating structures, etc. | $5.7M | 0.0% | -9.8% | $176K |
| 8902 | Fishing vessels, etc. | $1.1M | 0.0% | +5.4% | $0 |
| 8908 | Vessels and other floating structures for breaking up | $7,000 | 0.0% | – | $0 |
Top destinations
Export value over the 12 months to October 2026. 89 countries received this product from South Korea in the last 24 months; the table shows the largest 20.
| Rank | Country | Exports, 12 months | Share | vs 12 months before | Rank before | October 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Marshall Islands | $8.23B | 26.7% | +125.7% | 3 | $400.4M |
| 2 | Singapore | $5.63B | 18.3% | +47.2% | 2 | $802.9M |
| 3 | Liberia | $3.53B | 11.5% | -41.5% | 1 | $121.1M |
| 4 | Malta | $2.92B | 9.5% | +28.9% | 6 | $214.9M |
| 5 | France | $1.73B | 5.6% | -42.6% | 4 | $214.9M |
| 6 | Bermuda | $1.47B | 4.8% | -30.0% | 7 | $0 |
| 7 | Greece | $1.38B | 4.5% | +134.8% | 12 | $0 |
| 8 | Panama | $1.22B | 3.9% | -14.1% | 9 | $133.1M |
| 9 | Bahamas | $1.17B | 3.8% | +241.1% | 14 | $260.7M |
| 10 | Australia | $983.6M | 3.2% | +487.7% | 16 | $18K |
| 11 | Norway | $655.6M | 2.1% | – | – | $115.8M |
| 12 | Belgium | $569.6M | 1.9% | +167.6% | 15 | $0 |
| 13 | Denmark | $416.0M | 1.4% | -78.3% | 8 | $110.3M |
| 14 | Philippines | $225.0M | 0.7% | -56.1% | 13 | $991K |
| 15 | United States | $138.5M | 0.4% | -78.2% | 11 | $93K |
| 16 | China | $138.2M | 0.4% | +360.8% | 23 | $43.6M |
| 17 | Bangladesh | $78.0M | 0.3% | +8,913% | 40 | $0 |
| 18 | Indonesia | $65.1M | 0.2% | +121.2% | 24 | $0 |
| 19 | United Kingdom | $42.0M | 0.1% | -68.3% | 17 | $9,432 |
| 20 | Oman | $35.7M | 0.1% | – | – | $230K |
Countries are linked when exports of this product to them reached $1,000,000 over 24 months.
Monthly figures
| Month | Exports | vs year earlier | Export weight | Export $/kg | Imports | Import weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | $2.46B | -46.3% | 1,037,883 t | $2.37 | $459.2M | 331,823 t |
| September 2026 | $3.53B | +29.7% | 1,274,186 t | $2.77 | $280.5M | 258,894 t |
| August 2026 | $1.59B | -45.9% | 516,049 t | $3.08 | $196.7M | 303,375 t |
| July 2026 | $3.07B | +48.6% | 1,300,572 t | $2.36 | $879.7M | 968,270 t |
| June 2026 | $2.66B | +16.1% | 1,076,058 t | $2.47 | $405.9M | 743,932 t |
| May 2026 | $2.46B | +15.8% | 592,065 t | $4.15 | $459.9M | 528,301 t |
| April 2026 | $2.72B | +50.8% | 1,052,174 t | $2.59 | $210.3M | 304,129 t |
| March 2026 | $3.35B | +11.0% | 798,442 t | $4.20 | $169.8M | 162,344 t |
| February 2026 | $2.10B | +46.6% | 631,563 t | $3.33 | $167.8M | 61,600 t |
| January 2026 | $2.31B | -1.8% | 707,968 t | $3.27 | $333.2M | 187,910 t |
| December 2025 | $2.84B | -3.5% | 950,084 t | $2.99 | $185.7M | 105,750 t |
| November 2025 | $1.68B | -29.8% | 448,408 t | $3.75 | $419.9M | 377,716 t |
| October 2025 | $4.58B | +139.0% | 977,383 t | $4.69 | $343.3M | 201,526 t |
| September 2025 | $2.72B | +23.8% | 1,048,848 t | $2.60 | $342.4M | 197,357 t |
| August 2025 | $2.94B | +9.0% | 1,139,797 t | $2.58 | $138.7M | 55,713 t |
| July 2025 | $2.06B | +117.7% | 813,918 t | $2.53 | $323.2M | 356,512 t |
| June 2025 | $2.29B | +66.2% | 989,172 t | $2.32 | $375.1M | 455,354 t |
| May 2025 | $2.12B | +5.9% | 1,022,087 t | $2.08 | $367.8M | 303,901 t |
| April 2025 | $1.81B | +15.9% | 813,819 t | $2.22 | $428.7M | 341,174 t |
| March 2025 | $3.02B | +53.9% | 1,149,632 t | $2.63 | $382.4M | 463,773 t |
| February 2025 | $1.44B | -10.9% | 709,470 t | $2.02 | $152.9M | 108,165 t |
| January 2025 | $2.36B | -2.1% | 711,468 t | $3.31 | $261.3M | 132,747 t |
| December 2024 | $2.94B | -15.6% | 1,158,207 t | $2.54 | $608.8M | 590,960 t |
| November 2024 | $2.40B | +79.5% | 879,226 t | $2.73 | $156.2M | 94,151 t |
Exports FOB, imports CIF, US dollars. Weight is net weight. "vs year earlier" compares export value with the same month one year before and is left blank when that month was under $10,000. Source: Korea Customs Service, via data.go.kr.