SEOUL, April 3 (Xinhua) -- South Korea's shipbuilding orders logged a double-digit growth in the first quarter of the year thanks to solid demand for eco-friendly ships, the industry ministry said on Wednesday, citing data from Clarkson Research Services Ltd.

New vessel orders, won by local shipbuilders, totaled 4.49 million compensated gross tonnage (CGT) in the January-March quarter, up 32.9 percent from a year earlier, according to the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy.

It was lower than China's shipbuilding orders that amounted to 4.90 million CGT in the first quarter.

The double-digit increase was attributed to a strong demand for high value-added, eco-friendly ships such as liquified natural gas (LNG) and ammonia carriers, the ministry noted.

In terms of value, the South Korea-won shipbuilding orders jumped 41.4 percent from a year earlier to 13.6 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter, accounting for 44.7 percent of the global total.

It marked the world's largest in value terms. Enditem

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