Minister: Improving port & logistics infrastructure is strategic priority for Morocco 

Aware of the importance of sea and maritime transport to support its economic and social development, Morocco has made of the improvement of its port and logistics infrastructure a strategic priority over the last two decades, Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohamed Abdeljalil, said on Monday.

Morocco, which has 43 ports, including 14 open to international trade, will strengthen its port facilities with new projects, namely the Nador port, West of the Mediterranean, and the Dakhla port on the Atlantic, Abdeljalil pointed out at the 33rd session of the Assembly of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

Thanks to these infrastructures, which comply with IMO standards, Morocco records exceptional maritime activity, resulting in the transport of more than 195 million tonnes of goods, 5 million passengers and one million vehicles each year, he explained.

The minister added that around 9 million containers are processed in ports connecting Morocco to 80 countries and 180 ports around the world, placing the Kingdom in the 20th position in the world in terms of maritime connectivity, notably thanks to the Tangier-Med port.

HM King Mohammed VI’s will to strengthen the Atlantic dimension of the Kingdom, in parallel with Morocco’s strong bonds with Europe, across the Mediterranean, will make the Atlantic facade a door to Africa and a window towards America, he noted.

“The objective is to transform this facade into an area of human communication, economic integration, continental and international influence, to facilitate connection between the different components of this coast, and to provide means of transport and logistics stations,” he underlined.

Abdeljalil also welcomed the adoption by the Organization of a strategy aimed at overcoming the problem of greenhouse gas emissions, as part of a joint commitment for a sustainable and environmentally friendly maritime industry.

Morocco is participating in the 33rd session of the IMO Assembly with a high-level delegation led by Minister of Transport and Logistics, and made up of officials from the ministry and public institutions and companies operating in the maritime transport sector.