Taiwan intends to spend US$1.37 billion upgrading the country's seven commercial ports over the next five years to support future industrial growth.

The Ministry of Transportation and Communications submitted the proposal, which was approved by the National Development Council.

In the ports of Kaohsiung, Keelung, Hualien, Taichung, and Taipei, as well as Tainan's Anping and Yilan County's Suao, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications identified a total of 29 projects to increase capacity and develop both green and smart ports.

By 2026, the strategy seeks to increase overall cargo throughput at the seven ports by more than 13% to 1.8 billion tonnes. Taiwan International Ports Corp stated that it wants to increase total container throughput by 16 percent to over 18 million teus per year.

The Taiwan International Ports plan aims for Kaohsiung, the world's 16th busiest container port, is to be transformed into a prominent cargo transhipment center in the Asia-Pacific region, with container throughput increasing from 9.62 million TEUs in 2020 to 11.44 million TEUs by 2026.

Meanwhile, the Port of Taipei will serve as a smart logistics hub for vehicles, while the Port of Taichung will serve as a green energy development hub. 

Taiwan's Maritime Port Bureau also intends to spend US$350 million on 33 projects to renovate four domestic commercial ports.