In 2012, the OECD Shipbuilding Committee introduced a Peer Review process to examine government policies and support measures affecting the shipbuilding industry. This process involves in-depth reviews of the shipbuilding sectors of participating economies and provides a structured platform for sharing experiences, promoting transparency, and identifying practices that shape competitiveness in the global shipbuilding market. While primarily focused on Shipbuilding Committee members, the process also welcomes participation from non-member economies, either as observers or as subjects of review. The Peer Reviews combine policy analysis with detailed industry context and are enriched through active discussion and feedback among Committee participants.
In 2024 and 2025, the Philippines is subject to an ad hoc Peer Review, following earlier reviews of Japan (2012), Portugal (2013), Korea (2014), Germany (2015), Norway (2016), Finland (2017), the Netherlands (2019), Türkiye (2021), and several EU member states including Croatia, Denmark, Italy, Poland, and Romania (2023). The Philippines’ peer review is in line with the Shipbuilding Committee’s wish to also review selected non-member economies with significant shipbuilding activity, including the People’s Republic of China (hereafter ‘China’), Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Chinese Taipei, and Viet Nam. An ad-hoc report on China’s shipbuilding sector and policies affecting it was completed by the Secretariat in 2020.
This report is based on multiple sources, including publicly available data, statistical series accessible to the Secretariat, the Philippines’ official response to the Peer Review questionnaire, and stakeholder consultations conducted during the OECD’s fact-finding mission to the Philippines from 21–25 October 2024 and several virtual meetings with selected stakeholders and the Marine Industry Authority (MARINA) of the Philippines.
The report provides a timely and comprehensive assessment of the shipbuilding and ship repair (SBSR) sector in the Philippines. It primarily covers shipbuilding and marine equipment manufacturing, while also addressing ship repair, retrofitting, and conversion activities to offer a holistic picture of the maritime industrial base.