China's shipbuilding capacity utilization retreated in the first quarter of 2019 due to a sluggish global market, data from China Association of the National Shipbuilding Industry (CANSI) showed.

In the first three months, CCI, a monitoring index which indicates China's shipbuilding capacity utilization efficiency, came in at 590 points, down 5.8 percent from the same period last year.

The index also fell from the 607-point reading in the fourth quarter of 2018.

The CANSI attributed the drop to downcast sentiment in the global shipping market, with a notable fall in business orders.

On the outlook for the Q2, the association expects a slight pick-up in new orders, but shipbuilders will continue to face pressures from sagging demand and rising costs.

Earlier data showed Chinese companies built 43.2 percent of the new ships in the world in 2018, up from 41.9 percent a year ago, cementing the country's leading role in the sector.

China received 43.9 percent of global new orders last year and held 42.8 percent of the existing orders, data from the CANSI showed.