BEIJING, July 1 -- China's shipbuilding industry continued to lead globally in the first five months of this year with double-digit increases in both output and new orders, industry data showed.

The country's shipbuilding output reached 16.47 million deadweight tonnes (dwt) in the period, up 15.4 percent year on year, according to the China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry.

New orders in China's shipbuilding sector surged 49.5 percent from a year earlier to total 26.45 million dwt, the association said.

The output accounts for 48.1 percent of the global total, and new orders take up a 67.3 percent share, the data revealed.

Businesses improved for firms in the industry as 74 companies monitored by the association raked in 137.64 billion yuan (about 19 billion U.S. dollars) in revenue during the period, up 31.3 percent year on year.