The cruise sector remains the strongest maritime asset for the US, reinforcing its position as the world’s largest cruise owner, according to VesselsValue.
Rebecca Galanopoulos, senior content analyst, took an in-depth look at the US fleet, using VesselsValue data.
By beneficial owner country, China retains the top spot in terms of the most valuable fleet, amounting to $271bn. Japan ranks second with a fleet value of $230bn and Greece ranks third with a fleet value of $183bn. The US ranks fourth, with a total fleet value of $116.5bn.
Cruise ships are the most valuable vessel type within the US fleet, worth a total of $60.1bn; this is also the second largest fleet in terms of volume with 203 vessels.
The cruise sector has seen considerable increases in value so far this year, particularly for older vessels. This comes as demand for this sector has skyrocketed and at the same time, many vessels were scrapped or laid up during the pandemic, therefore second hand vessels are in short supply.
In honor of the Marine Money 2025 this week, senior content analyst Rebecca Galanopoulos breaks down the US fleet across the rest of the top 5 high-value sectors.
Specifically, the OSV sector ranks second with a value of $12.4bn. However, in terms of volume, this sector takes the top spot, accounting for the majority of the US fleet with a share of c.35.5%.
The MODU sector ranks third, valued at $11.6bn, with a fleet of 90 vessels.
Tankers rank fourth, valued at $8.9bn, with the third largest fleet of 229 vessels.
In fifth place is the container sector, with a value of $5.4bn and 109 vessels. This sector has seen a considerable increase in values over the last year with gains across almost all sub sectors and age categories as rerouted vessels – due to geopolitical tensions in the Red Sea and Strait of Hormuz – have increased ton mile demand.
