Sri Lanka's Blue Economy Vision 2030 Creates Maritime Investment Gateway
Government targets five strategic sectors as nation positions for South Asian maritime leadership
Sri Lanka has unveiled an ambitious Blue Economy Vision 2030 framework, targeting five strategic sectors for foreign investment as it positions itself to become South Asia’s premier maritime hub. Speaking at the Marine Summit: Voyage Sri Lanka 2025, Labour Minister Dr Anil Jayantha Fernando outlined priority investment areas including sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, marine biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, port development and maritime logistics, marine tourism, and offshore energy services.
The government’s strategic framework leverages Sri Lanka’s unique geographical advantage—positioned at the centre of major global shipping lanes connecting East and West—whilst promising comprehensive policy reform, tax incentives, regulatory streamlining, and infrastructure investments to support private sector innovation and international partnerships.
The investment opportunity gains credibility through substantial backing from multilateral development institutions, with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) actively supporting Sri Lanka’s maritime transformation through strategic partnerships and infrastructure financing. The conference brought together key stakeholders including the BOI, Sri Lanka Ports Authority, Colombo Dockyard, IMO, and UNDP, signalling institutional readiness for foreign capital deployment.
For European investors, the Blue Economy initiative presents compelling opportunities particularly in marine biotechnology leveraging Sri Lanka’s rich biodiversity, port infrastructure development at Colombo, Hambantota and Trincomalee harbours, and sustainable aquaculture benefiting from modernised cold chain logistics and value-added seafood processing for export—all within a framework of enhanced government support, BOI facilitation, and environmental governance aligned with UN SDG 14 standards.
Insights for European Investors: Sri Lanka’s Blue Economy Vision 2030 provides structured entry opportunities into high-growth maritime sectors with government backing, particularly for European expertise in sustainable fisheries technology, marine biotechnology, and offshore renewable energy development
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