East Asia and Pacific Faces a USD 900 Billion Maritime Investment Challenge

A container port in Bukit Merah, Singapore. Credit: Unsplash/CHUTTERSNAPby Maximilian Malawista (united nations)Friday, July 31, 2026Inter Press Service UNITED NATIONS, July 31 (IPS) - East Asia and the Pacific’s (EAP) maritime system has powered the region’s rise as the world’s largest trading and manufacturing center, but the infrastructure supporting that system has become increasingly vulnerable. According to a new World Bank report, EAP will require nearly USD 900 billion in maritime investment through 2040, as aging vessels, growing trade volumes, and the transition towards alternative fuels place pressure on vital shipping networks propping up the region’s rapid economic growth. Container trade across the region is projected to grow by 3.5 percent to 4 percent annually over the next decade, meaning ports have to build the additional capacity to accommodate approximately 300 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) by 2040. The World Bank estimates that modernizing ports will require USD 180 billion through 2040, while more than USD 280 billion will be needed to replace and upgrade regional and domestic fleets.Such investment comes as maritime transport remains a major con...