Report: Moroccan ports record 7.4% traffic boom in 2023

Morocco’s port activity set a new high in 2023, handling an overall volume surpassing 209.4 million tons—a 7.4% surge compared to 2022, according to a recent report by the Ministry of Equipment and Water.

In 2023, the distribution of global port traffic was characterized by a predominance of transshipment activity, accounting for 46.2%, followed by imports at 32.1%, exports at 17.2%, cabotage at 3.8%, and bunkering at 0.8%.

As to imports, they reached 67.2 million tons, which makes up a 1.9% growth compared to 2022, mainly due to a 3.9% increase in cereals imports reaching 2.9 million tons followed by a 3.6% growth in sulfur which amounted to 6.9 million tons.

However, declines were witnessed in hydrocarbon imports by 1.2% reaching 11.9 million tons in 2023, followed by a 6.2% drop in coal registering 10.5 million tons. 

Exports in the same year grew by 3.5% to reach 36 million tons. This rise was boosted by increased fertilizer exports, which amounted to 11 million tons demonstrating a significant increase of 20.5%, as well as clinker, which reached 2 million tons representing a growth of 21.7%.

However, raw phosphate traffic exports fell to 4.4 million tons, representing an 18.4% drop. Similarly, sulfuric acid exports fell to 802 thousand tons, which is a 38.7% decrease.

Tangier Med port, according to the same source, solidified its position as a major Mediterranean logistics hub, handling 92.8 million tons of containers, which represents a 13.7% increase, and 3.7 million tons of hydrocarbons, a 17.5% rise.

Cabotage, the exchange of products between Moroccan ports, grew by 2.7% in 2023 compared to 2022, totaling 7.9 million tons, mainly due to a 13.8% rise in container traffic and a 21.2% increase in hydrocarbon traffic.

Hydrocarbon bunkering, on the other hand, decreased by 8.2% from 2022 to 1.7 million tons in 2023, as ships favored transit through the Strait of Gibraltar.

In the same year, new vehicle traffic increased by 16% to 673,630 units, with 77% of those headed for export.

Passenger traffic through Moroccan ports amounted to 4,785,223, representing an increase of 39.1% from 2022, mainly due to the “Marhaba 2023” operation. 

The ports of Nador, Tanger Med, and Tanger-Ville handled more than 98% of total passenger traffic.

Cruise activity rebounded significantly, increasing by 91.9% to 192,996 cruise passengers in 2023. However, coastal and artisanal maritime fishing landings dropped by 11%, to 1.35 million tons.

Maritime traffic in Moroccan ports witnessed significant growth in 2023, admitting around 27,900 merchant vessels, accounting for a 16% increase from 2022.