Page 11 · Business

$3.5tr ocean economy

BEIJING: The global ocean economy generated $3.5 trillion in gross value added in 2025 and supported 103 million fulltime-equivalent jobs, accordingtoareportreleased by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).

The scale of the sector reflects the ocean’s central role in global trade, food production and coastal livelihoods. At the 7th Symposium on GlobalMaritime Cooperation and Ocean Governance in Sanya, China, experts from several countries called for closer international cooperation in maritime security, fisheries and marine conservation.

‘The ocean connects all of us,’ said Jayanath Colombage, former chief of the Navy of Sri Lanka and former Sri Lankan ambassador to Indonesia, in an interview during the forum.-APP