East African shipbuilding had now reached a considerable scale. In terms of the number of vessels built each year alone, it had already become one of the world's great shipbuilding powers.
With the launch of the Second Five-Year Plan, by 1908 East Africa's total civilian shipping tonnage had exceeded two million tons, nearing three million tons, accounting for roughly seven percent of the world's civilian shipbuilding industry.
At the time, Germany's total civilian shipping tonnage stood at around three million tons. The gap between East Africa and Germany was no longer large. Britain, of course, was even more formidable: its total civilian shipping tonnage accounted for over fifty percent of the world total, nearing twenty million tons. Its share had been even higher in the 1890s. Even as shipbuilding developed in various countries and Britain's share declined, it still stood head and shoulders above the rest.
Britain firmly occupied the throne of world shipbuilding. Aside from meeting its own domestic demand, most orders from other countries were also handed to Britain, including those from East Africa and Germany. Due to manufacturing costs and technological factors, East Africa and Germany also ordered vessels from Britain.
Of course, East Africa had a long history of purchasing or leasing ships from abroad. Especially in the past, when sailing ships had not yet completely withdrawn from the stage of history, East Africa had even bought vessels from smaller countries such as Italy, the Netherlands, and Greece to meet its needs for immigrant and cargo transport.
But as time passed, East Africa's domestic shipbuilding industry developed by leaps and bounds. Especially after the Second Five-Year Plan, the overwhelming majority of East Africa's needs could basically be met by its own shipbuilding enterprises.
Moreover, East Africa's shipbuilding boom had largely bid farewell to the Age of