| Date | Country | Builder | Location | Ship | Class and type | Notes |
| 10 January |  United Kingdom | Scott-Lithgow | Greenock | Nordic Commander | Tanker | For Anglo-Nordic Tankers.[1] |
| 22 January |  Soviet Union | Yantar | Kaliningrad | Druzhnyy | Project 1135 large anti-submarine ship | For Soviet Navy. |
| 25 January |  West Germany | Blohm+Voss | Hamburg | Adrian Mærsk | Mærsk A-class container ship | For A.P. Møller - Mærsk A/S |
| 28 January | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Madaraka | Madaraka-class missile boat | For Kenyan Navy.[2] |
| 30 January |  France | | Nantes | Bore Star | Ferry | For Steamship Company Bore. |
| 1 February | United Kingdom | Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd. | Appledore | Arco Tyne | Dredger | For Consolidated Gold Fields Ltd.[3] |
| 14 February | West Germany | | Kiel | Saldiray | Type 209 submarine | For Turkish Navy. |
| 24 February |  Japan | | | Kumano | Chikugo-class destroyer escort | For Japanese Navy. |
| 7 March | United Kingdom | Vosper Thornycroft | Portsmouth | Ardhana | Ardhana-class patrol craft | For United Arab Emirates Navy.[4] |
| 8 March | West Germany | AG Weser | Bremen | Vassiliki Colocotronis | Europatanker Ultra Large Crude Carrier | For Pansegura Armadora S.A. |
| 14 March | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Jamhuri | Madaraka-class missile boat | For Kenyan Navy.[5] |
| 21 March |  United States | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | Arthur W. Radford | Spruance-class destroyer | For United States Navy. |
| 6 April | Soviet Union | Shipyard No. 532 | Kerch | Deyatelnyy | Project 1135 large anti-submarine ship | For Soviet Navy. |
| 14 April |  Finland | Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard | Helsinki | Azerbaihzan | Belorussiya-class cruise ship | Black Sea Shipping Company[6] |
| 24 April | United Kingdom | Swan Hunter | Wallsend | Newcastle | Type 42 destroyer | For Royal Navy. |
| 25 April | United Kingdom | Beverley Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd | Beverley | Bishop Burton | Fishing trawler | For Mike Burton Ltd.[7] |
| 26 April | United States | Newport News Shipbuilding | Newport News, Virginia | Baton Rouge | Los Angeles-class submarine | For United States Navy. |
| 9 May | United Kingdom | Yarrow Shipbuilders | Scotstoun | Ardent | Type 21 frigate | For Royal Navy. |
| 10 May | United Kingdom | Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd. | Appledore | Risnes | Bulk carrier | For Jebsens (U.K.) Ltd.[8] |
| 15 May | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Fraser Salvator | Offshore supply vessel | For Yngvar Hvistendahl Shipping Co. Ltd. & others.[9] |
| 27 May | United Kingdom | Scotstoun-Marine | Clydebank | Loch Maree | Refrigerated cargo vessel | For C. Connell & Co. Ltd.[10] |
| 5 June | West Germany | Kröger | Rendsburg | Falke | Albatros-class fast attack craft | For German Navy. |
| 13 June | United Kingdom | Vosper Thornycroft | Portsmouth | Zurara | Ardhana-class patrol craft | For United Arab Emirates Navy.[4] |
| 13 June | West Germany | Kremer-Werft | Elmshorn | Leiv Viking | Offshore supply vessel | [11] |
| 21 June | United States | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | Peterson | Spruance-class destroyer | For United States Navy. |
| 24 June | United States | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | Caron | Spruance-class destroyer | For United States Navy. |
| 30 June | Japan | | | Takashio | Uzushio-class submarine | For Japanese Navy. |
| 1 July | United States | National Steel and Shipbuilding Company | San Diego, California | Worth | San Clemente-class oil tanker | |
| 1 July | West Germany | Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft | Kiel | Sabalo | Type 209 submarine | For Venezuelan Navy. |
| 5 July | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Lampas | Supertanker | For Shell Tankers Ltd.[12] |
| 19 July | Soviet Union | Werft 340 | Selenodolsk | Delfin | Koni-class frigate | For Soviet Navy. |
| 24 July | United Kingdom | Cammell Laird | Birkenhead | Hudson Cavalier | Stat 32 tanker | For John Hudson Fuel & Shipping. |
| 8 August | West Germany | AG Weser | Bremen | World Giant | Type "Europatanker" Ultra Large Crude Carrier | For Chesham Shipping Company. |
| 9 August | United States | Newport News Shipbuilding | Newport News, Virginia | Texas | Virginia-class cruiser | For United States Navy. |
| 23 August | United Kingdom | Beverley Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd | Beverley | Seaforth Champion | Offshore supply vessel | For Lloyds & Scottish Development Ltd.[13] |
| 24 August | United States | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | David R. Ray | Spruance-class destroyer | For United States Navy. |
| 26 August | United Kingdom | Beverley Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd | Beverley | Stirling Ash | Offshore supply vessel | For Stirling Shipping Supply Ltd.[14] |
| 27 August | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Ardennes | Landing craft | For British Army.[15] |
| 30 August | Japan | | Mitsui | Berge Emperor | Supertanker | For Bergesen d.y. |
| 15 September | United Kingdom | Vosper Thornycroft | Portsmouth | Murban | Ardhana-class patrol craft | For United Arab Emirates Navy.[4] |
| 16 September | United Kingdom | Vosper Thornycroft | Portsmouth | Al Ghulian | Ardhana-class patrol craft | For United Arab Emirates Navy.[4] |
| 30 September | Soviet Union | Mykolaiv | Minsk | Kiev-class aircraft carrier | For Soviet Navy. |
| 4 October | West Germany | Nobiskrug | Rendsburg | Kronprins Harald | Ferry | For Jahre Line.[16] |
| 8 October | United Kingdom | Harland & Wolff | Belfast | Essi Camilla | Bulk carrier | For Ruud Petersen A/S.[17] |
| 11 October | United States | Newport News Shipbuilding | Newport News, Virginia | Dwight D. Eisenhower | Nimitz-class aircraft carrier | For United States Navy. |
| 17 October | Finland | Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard | Helsinki | Kazakhstan | Belorussiya-class cruise ship | For Black Sea Shipping Company.[18] |
| 21 October | United States | Ingalls Shipbuilding | Pascagoula, Mississippi | Oldendorf | Spruance-class destroyer | For United States Navy. |
| 1 November | United Kingdom | Appledore Shipbuilders Ltd. | Appledore | Rocknes | Bulk carrier | For Elco Leasing Ltd.[19] |
| 4 November | West Germany | Flender Werft | Rendsburg | Tor Scandinavia | Cruiseferry | For Tor Line. |
| 6 November | West Germany | Howaldtswerke-Deutsche Werft | Kiel | Caribe | Type 209 submarine | For Venezuelan Navy. |
| 6 November | United Kingdom | Brooke Marine Ltd. | Lowestoft | Lovat Salvator | Offshore supply vessel | For Yngvar Hvistendahl Shipping Co. Ltd.[20] |
| 14 November | Finland | Wärtsilä Helsinki Shipyard | Helsinki | Don Carlos | Vehicle transporter | For Rederei AB Soya. |
| 20 November | United Kingdom | Yarrow Shipbuilders | Scotstoun | Avenger | Type 21 frigate | For Royal Navy. |
| 4 December | West Germany | Lürssen | Greif | Albatros-class | | For German Navy. |
| 5 December | United Kingdom | Swan Hunter | Wallsend | Liverpool Bridge | Bridge-class OBO carrier | For Bibby Line. |
| 5 December | United Kingdom | Beverley Shipbuilding & Engineering Co. Ltd | Beverley | Navena | Fishing trawler | For J. Marr & Son Ltd.[21] |
| 15 December | West Germany | AG Weser | Bremen | Shat-Alarab | Type "Europatanker" Ultra Large Crude Carrier | For Arab Maritime Petroleum Transport Company |
| 15 December | United Kingdom | Vosper Thornycroft | Portsmouth | Radoom | Ardhana-class patrol craft | For United Arab Emirates Navy.[4] |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | J. Bolson & Son Ltd. | Poole | Bournemouth Belle | Passenger ship | For Croson Ltd.[22] |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | Bideford Shipyard (1973) Ltd | Bideford | Galatea | Fishing trawler | For Bogg (Holdings) Ltd.[23] |
| Unknown date | United Kingdom | Bideford Shipyard (1973) Ltd | Bideford | Vision | Fishing trawler | For Donald Patience and George Walker & Sons Ltd.[24] |