To complement its rapidly developing maritime sector, Morocco is gearing up to support domestic shipbuilding. Early this week, the Moroccan public think-tank the Economic, Social and Environmental Council (CESE) opened a consultation for a national shipbuilding roadmap. In its 2023 annual report, CESE identified shipbuilding as a potential high-growth sector for the Moroccan economy.
“The shipbuilding industry is pivotal in building a robust and competitive national commercial fleet, which is essential for economic sovereignty and reducing reliance on maritime imports,” said CESE President Ahmed Reda Chami.
CESE’s call for a national shipbuilding strategy is a follow-up to a speech delivered last year by King Mohammed VI. In the speech, the King directed the development “of a strong, competitive national commercial marine fleet.” The Ministry of Transport and Logistics is currently undertaking a study on the expansion of the existing Moroccan commercial fleet of 15 ships.
However, CESE noted that for shipbuilding to take off in Morocco, challenges such as the skills gap need to be addressed. In addition, CESE called for streamlining of the maritime regulations to spur collaboration between the private and public sectors.
Morocco has already designated shipbuilding zones, with a new shipyard at the Port of Casablanca. Recently, Morocco's National Ports Agency launched a two-stage competitive tender for the concession rights to run the new shipyard for a period of 30 years. Some of the private companies which have bid for the tender include the Moroccan-based infrastructure construction company Somagec.
Based on its strategic geographical location along the Mediterranean, Morocco has the potential to attract international shipbuilding firms. Further, the Port of Tangier Med has emerged as a top shipping hub in Africa and the Mediterranean region, and could bring a steady stream of repair work.
In June, Morocco’s petroleum company Petrocab placed an order for a second product tanker at the South Korean yard Dae Sun Shipbuilding. The first tanker, Challah, was successfully delivered by the same shipyard in late 2022. Notably, the assembly of the second tanker will take place in Morocco at the Casablanca Shipyard. This signaled a commitment by the government to bolster domestic shipbuilding capacity.
