WTO’s $2.6 Trillion Ocean Economy Push Highlights Marine Investment Gaps

Seafood processing and marine infrastructure remain underdeveloped in many coastal and island economies, limiting their ability to earn more from ocean trade.

Investment is needed in fish-processing factories, refrigerated storage, export-certification facilities and ports, while marine manufacturing remains concentrated in established industrial economies.

The World Trade Organization (WTO) estimates the global ocean economy at $2.6 trillion, supporting approximately 133 million jobs. International trade in ocean-related goods and services separately exceeded $2.5 trillion in 2025, according to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

On November 5, WTO Director-General Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala called for greater investment and international partnerships to develop marine industries.

She identified technology, infrastructure, skills, seafood processing and market access as priorities for coastal and island economies seeking to expand production and exports.

Marine Manufacturing Investment Remains Concentrated in Major Economies

Ships and port equipment generated $414 billion in global trade in 2025, while other manufactured ocean products contributed $402 billion.

China led ocean-related goods exports with $185 billion in 2024, followed by Germany at $76 billion and the United States at $62 billion, according to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD).

China’s Hengli Heavy Industry announced a $1.9 billion shipyard expansion in January 2026, targeting an additional 4.6 million deadweight tonnes of annual capacity. Finland’s Wärtsilä committed €230 million to expand engine production, with new capacity scheduled for 2028 and 2029.

India approved a ₹69,725 crore shipbuilding development package and is pursuing a proposed $4 billion shipyard with South Korea’s HD Korea Shipbuilding & Offshore Engineering. The facility could produce 2.5 million gross tonnes annually, although financing arrangements have not been finalised.

In Ghana, a $137 million floating dock is being developed at Takoradi, supported by a $9.7 million commitment from the Private Infrastructure Development Group.

Designed to service vessels up to 200 metres long, the facility would expand domestic ship-repair capacity. Its investment scale remains considerably smaller than the manufacturing expansions underway in China and India.

Island Economies Face Limited Infrastructure Investment

Nearly 60% of small island developing states attracted fewer than three international infrastructure partnerships over 25 years, according to UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Tourism accounts for 87% of their ocean exports, while investment in ports and other marine industries remains limited. 

Island economies paid an average of $103 per tonne in maritime transport costs during 2016–2021, against $86 in developed economies. In the Caribbean, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines opened its upgraded Kingstown Port in October 2025, supported by a $130 million development-bank loan and a $36 million British grant. 

The Asian Development Bank approved $10 million in July 2026 to support maritime transport in Tuvalu. Papua New Guinea also secured more than 400 million kina in French and European financing to redevelop Rabaul Port. 

Comoros launched a maritime corridor project backed by $137 million from the African Development Bank, with over $110 million in additional funding expected.

The Maldives is constructing a commercial port at Thilafushi for completion in November 2027, although the government has not disclosed its borrowing amount. 

Seafood Processing and Aquaculture Require New Production Investment

Global trade in aquatic animal products reached $184 billion in 2024, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Aquaculture production stood at 103 million tonnes.

UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) recorded $114 billion in unprocessed marine fisheries and aquaculture exports in 2023, against $89 billion in processed seafood. Developing producers face shortages of factories, refrigerated storage and export facilities. 

Indonesia exported 197,870 tonnes of seaweed in 2025, but nearly two-thirds of its shipments remained unprocessed. United Nations figures put raw seaweed at approximately $1.40 per kilogram, against $18.70 for processed agar. The products have different production costs and yields, while additional processing capacity requires industrial investment. 

Seaweed-processing investment reached 232 billion rupiah in the first half of 2026, meeting just 43.8% of Indonesia’s annual target.

Conservation International Ventures committed $150,000 to Seadling and $200,000 to Birufinery for seaweed-based products. Disbursement procedures remained outstanding, while the country’s larger processing investment target had yet to be met.

Liberia completed a $66,597 solar-powered fish storage facility in March 2026. In September, FAO invited bids for seafood-processing centres in two Nigerian states.

The projects address local infrastructure needs, but larger commercial processing plants, cold chains and export-certification facilities still require financing to expand production and access international markets.

WTO Fisheries Rules Bring New Financing and Implementation Decisions

The WTO Agreement on Fisheries Subsidies took effect on September 15, 2025, restricting subsidies linked to illegal fishing, overfished stocks and fishing in unregulated high seas.

By October 29, 2026, 20 members had submitted 34 implementation notifications. Negotiations on further subsidy restrictions remain unfinished. 

The WTO Fish Fund has approved 43 grants worth $5.1 million for 41 developing economies, against approximately $20 million in donor contributions and commitments.

Grants of up to $300,000 support monitoring, fisheries data and regulatory compliance rather than commercial facilities. Another funding round is planned for early 2027. 

UNCTAD committed $60,000 to marine tourism investment planning in São Tomé and Príncipe through 2027. The World Bank approved $240 million for coastal development in Benin and Mauritania, including $28 million in private capital. A proposed guarantee could unlock another $20 million in lending for seafood processors. 

Olam Agri broke ground on a $70 million Nigerian aquaculture-feed factory in November, targeting daily production of 300 tonnes from 2027.

Vietnam’s Australis Aquaculture secured permits for farms with 30,000 tonnes of annual capacity, with its first harvest expected in mid-2027. Both projects face delivery milestones as developing economies seek to expand marine production and exports.