Morocco set to establish competitive national merchant naval fleet
The Ministry of Transport and Logistics is preparing to launch a strategic study to establish a strong and competitive national merchant naval fleet, following the directives of King Mohammed VI, said Minister Mohammed Abdeljalil during a session at the House of Advisors.
The study will assess the current state of commercial navigation to ensure compliance with international best practices so as to create favorable conditions to encourage investment in this sector.
The Minister of Transport and Logistics mentioned that important sectors such as road freight transportation, air transportation, maritime transportation, and port services have been liberalized in the past 20 years, except for maritime passenger transportation, due to its uniqueness and strategic importance.
Minister Abdeljalil highlighted the strong relationship between the maritime transportation sector and port development.
He added that the Kingdom has strategically developed significant port hubs along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts, effectively connecting them to the country’s highway and railway networks, he explained.
“Creating a strong and competitive national commercial fleet will enhance Morocco’s maritime position,” said an expert in strategic planning and change leadership, Amine Sami.
This ambitious strategy will contribute directly and indirectly to wealth generation in various economic social, and cultural domains, explained the expert.
Sami said, “Morocco is now working towards creating a unique strategic intelligence that combines strategic objectives, unity, and harmony,” which is a set of combination of both Western and Eastern strategic thinking.
The expert explained, “developing the Atlantic coast will breathe new life into the coastal cities along the Atlantic Ocean, boosting economic growth and attracting both local and foreign direct investments,” underscoring that this will contribute to the country’s gross domestic product and individual income.
“The 2040 National Ports Strategy prioritizes the establishment of a port in every region of the country. The goal is to make Morocco open to the outside world, economically, socially, and culturally connected,” further highlighted Sami.
The administrative division of the 12 regions in Morocco, excluding only three regions (Fes-Meknes, Khouribga-Beni Mellal, and Draa-Tafilalat), is designed in a way that allows them to access ports, said Sami.
As to the other three regions, they have the necessary infrastructure to establish connections with other regions that have ports. As a result, all regions are connected to regional and national ports, added the expert.
Despite owning advanced port infrastructure, the Kingdom is still heavily reliant on foreign companies for the transportation of goods and passengers.
Thus, creating a commercial national maritime fleet will improve the country’s ability to leverage the strong capabilities of the maritime infrastructure and boost the maritime economy.
