Morocco will create a "competitive and strong" commercial maritime fleet
Morocco plans to launch the creation of a "strong and competitive" national commercial maritime fleet, Moroccan Minister of Transport and Logistics Mohammed Abdeljalil announced earlier this week, according to Morocco World News.
Abdeljalil's remarks come a month after a speech by Morocco's King Mohammed VI in which he called on the government to take advantage of the Kingdom's Atlantic coast to boost economic development.
Abdeljalil explained that, through an analysis and a study, "the current state of commercial shipping will be diagnosed in order to bring it into line with international best practices". According to the minister, this measure is taken "with the aim of creating favourable conditions to encourage investment in this sector".
For maritime trade to succeed, the development of port sectors is necessary. In this regard, it should be noted that Morocco has been working for years to develop major port hubs along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, ensuring that they are connected to vital infrastructure such as road and rail networks.
In order to boost maritime trade, Morocco has invested heavily in projects such as the Tangier Med port, the jewel in the crown of Rabat's strategy to promote maritime trade.
The Tangier Med port, inaugurated in 2007, is currently one of the most important in the North African and Mediterranean region. In 2022, for example, it ranked fourth in the World Bank's CPPI 2022, which ranks the performance of container ports worldwide, making it the most efficient port in Europe and North Africa.
On the other hand, the port has received other important recognitions. Tangier Med has also been ranked as the third most efficient container port in the world by the specialised website Priceonomics. It also ranks 23rd in the ranking of the largest ports in the world, according to the data provider Alphaliner.
In addition to the important port of Tangier, the Moroccan government is also trying to boost the port sector in other areas in the south, such as Dakhla. In this city on the Atlantic Ocean, a $3.3 billion port is under construction to further contribute to the development of Morocco's maritime trade with America and West Africa. The Ministry of Transport and Logistics will also study the extent to which the incorporation of a national commercial fleet can contribute to this project.
Morocco's maritime and port strategy has already enabled the country to attract international investment in the maritime transport sector, raising Morocco's maritime connectivity index internationally and ranking it 20th in the world. The Kingdom is already connected to more than 184 ports in 71 countries.
