Morocco’s ports have faced persistent congestion for months this year, disrupting logistics activity and affecting foreign trade flows and national supply chains.
The situation has been driven primarily by earlier weather disruptions in the country and tensions in the Middle East that have affected global shipping routes.
Casablanca Port alone has faced congestion since 2025, with more than 60 vessels waiting offshore and reports indicating peaks of up to 80 ships, nearly half of them grain carriers.
Port dwell times also rose significantly in early 2026, with ships waiting up to 30 days instead of just five to six. The delays have cost an estimated $12 million to $18 million and have forced some mills to halt production due to supply shortages.
Experts point to several measures to ease congestion, ranging from accelerating port projects to adopting technological solutions to improve logistics management.
Speeding Up Port Projects
International trade expert and import-export specialist Ahmed El Maghribi called for accelerating the Nador West Med project, saying it would ease pressure on Tangier Med, boost Morocco’s logistics capacity and create a new economic hub in the east.
Amid rising pressure on Casablanca Port, the Kenitra Atlantic Port project could also help reduce congestion, El Maghribi said, particularly as demand grows for a new Atlantic hub to support trade flows.
Improving Port Management Tools
However, El Maghribi stressed that “building new ports alone is not enough” and that more advanced management tools are needed.
He called for integrating artificial intelligence into digital port systems to improve efficiency and flexibility.
“AI can optimize vessel scheduling, speed up document processing, reduce waiting times and improve coordination across port operations,” he said.
Aziz Barhmi, a professor and researcher at Ibn Tofail University and an expert in international logistics, told Hespress English that limited visibility on ship arrivals remains a key challenge.
He said blockchain technology could help by providing a shared, real-time system.
This would “allow better anticipation of arrivals and help avoid congestion by improving planning of port capacity,” he added.
Expanding the Dry Port Network
Experts also call for expanding dry ports and inland logistics platforms to shift storage, cargo handling and processing away from congested coastal port areas.
El Maghribi said much of the congestion is linked to containers remaining in seaports for extended periods due to storage constraints and slow cargo clearance procedures.
Extending Operating Hours
Limited working hours across the logistics chain remain a major constraint affecting port operations.
“The current pace of trade is no longer compatible with limited working schedules,” El Maghribi said.
He added that adopting a 24/7 system would speed up cargo handling, reduce container dwell times, improve turnover, shorten delivery times and strengthen the competitiveness of Morocco’s foreign trade.
Managing Climate Risks
Weather disruptions earlier this year have also affected supply chains, delaying the unloading of shipments and pushing up local prices.
El Maghribi emphasized that Morocco needs to invest in improved maritime forecasting, early warning systems and more resilient infrastructure to better cope with climate-related disruptions.
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