The Port of Casablanca provides a vital gateway to Morocco, handling more than 21.3 million tons of traffic annually, which accounts for roughly 38% of all maritime traffic travelling to Morocco. For this reason, the Port plays a vital role in supporting Morocco’s economy through its work across the country’s commercial, cargo and fishing industries. Thanks to its vital location close to the Strait of Gibraltar, the port is vital in enhancing global supply chains, with a key part of its trade relations going to Spain, Portugal, France, the UK and other various Nordic countries. Therefore, the Port of Casablanca is a vital hub for shipping and logistics, with global shipping companies such as Maersk and CMA CGM utilising the port to carry out efficient maritime, inland, and logistics operations.
The Port of Casablanca has long played a vital role in Morocco’s economic development spanning back to the 19th century when the population of Casablanca began to grow. As it grew, the Port became a key supplier of wool to the booming textile industry, particularly in Britain, and so shipping traffic rapidly increased. As its role expanded, the Moroccan administration entrusted the Compagnie Morocaine with the construction of a small port in 1906. The port would consist of 2 small piers and a wet dock. By 1938 the port spanned to 125 hectares and included the vital infrastructure to meet the needs of trading ships. However, with the continued expansion of shipping between Morocco and the rest of the world, there was a need for a more sophisticated and established port that could meet the growing needs of Morocco’s import and export industry. With the addition of a large dock, water plane, embankment, harbour and container terminal by 1996, the port is now able to accommodate 35 ships simultaneously.
Today, the Port of Casablanca is operated by Marsa Maro and provides essential shipping with containers, steel products, wood and wood products, coal, petroleum coke, cereals, animal feed, vehicles and even machinery. These products are vital to the Moroccan economy and are served by 4 terminals helping maintain the efficient importing and exporting of these products. Across these terminals, the port has a 700,000 twenty-equivalent units (TEUs) capacity for handling domestic container traffic. In addition to this, the port is home to a large covered multi-story area spanning 100,000 meters squared, that is dedicated to vehicles and offers a range of value-added services for operators.
The port’s vital role in global shipping lines is largely thanks to its strategic location close to the Strait of Gibraltar. For this reason, many major shipping lines use the Port of Casablanca as a vital stopping point. These shipping lines include Maersk who has 3 vital offices across Morocco, including its Moroccan head office in the Port of Casablanca. Maersk currently runs weekly departures from the Port of Casablanca, as well as from Agadir and Tangier. Across these shipping operations, Maersk is helping connect Morrocco to the world.
CMA CGM is also a key shipping company that serves the Port of Casablanca. CMA CGM offers a wide range of shipping services to the ports of Casablanca, Tangier and Agadir. Across these solutions, CMA CGM is committed to providing smarter and more efficient services across its 27 vessel lines operating between Morocco and the rest of the world. The Port of Casablanca therefore makes up a vital part of CMA CGM’s global network to help make shipping across the globe more seamless. For this, CMA CGM runs weekly departures from Agadir, Casablanca and Tangier via its global fleet. Across both Maersk and CMA CGM’s operations, they help enhance Morocco’s position within global supply chains and in turn, enhance Morocco’s economic development.
As the port looks towards the future, Global Ports Holding (GPH) announced in April that it was awarded preferred bidder status for the cruise terminal at the Port of Casablanca. The Port has long been a vital stopover for cruises spanning the Canary Islands and West Mediterranean Cruises, as well as many operating between Europe and the Caribbean. GPH is the world’s largest independent cruise port operator, and so the announcement following a public tender process outlines that in April 2024, the majority-owned consortium between GPH (51% ownership) and local shareholder Steya (40%) and Ocean Infrastructure Management (9%) were awarded a preferred bidder status for a 15-year concession agreement with Agence Nationale des Ports (ANP) which will operate the Port of Casablanca’s cruise terminals. The consortium and ANP, are therefore set on enhancing the cruise port for the continued expansion of Morocco’s tourism sector.
The cruise port recently underwent a 60-million-euro investment to develop its restructure, with the investment led by ANP. This infrastructural development included the construction of a new cruise pier, cruise terminal and maritime station so the port can now handle ships of up to 350 meters long. Consequently, the cruise port is set on enhancing the Port of Casablanca’s economic stability and further extending Morocco’s position as a vital stopping point for international travel.
Ultimately, the Port of Casablanca plays a vital role in connecting Morrocco to the world. Its vital location is at the heart of many shipping lines traversing the Strait of Gibraltar and connecting European shipping lines with a vital gateway into Africa. With all of these operations spanning Morocco’s cargo, fishing and tourism sectors, the port remains committed to ensuring that all of its operations are for the benefit of Morocco and support its economy as a primary mission. As we have seen, the port has continued to develop with the help of local and international stakeholders, and so we look forward to seeing how the Port of Casablanca will continue to support the development of Morocco and transform it into a vital hub for global shipping operations.
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