Algeria Reaffirms Ban on Goods Transit Through Moroccan Ports

On Saturday, Algeria reaffirmed its decision to boycott Moroccan ports. In a statement published by APS, the Association of Banks and Financial Institutions (ABEF) informed the general managers of the banks that the decision to "refuse any domiciliation operation, for transport contracts that provide for transshipment/transit through Moroccan ports, is still in force and retains its full effective validity", thus denying the information stating that Algiers had canceled its decision to boycott Moroccan ports.

This information was described as "false allegations and gross manipulation" by the ABEF. The latter had asked, on January 29, the banks to authorize the domiciliation of goods, particularly perishable ones such as meat, whose "loading on board the ships was done before January 10, 2024." This message, which followed the Algerian decision taken on January 14, the very day of the thawing of trade between Algeria and Spain, after more than 19 months of blockage, had been interpreted as a renunciation of the boycott.

The Algerian decision to boycott all goods transiting through Moroccan ports has led Maersk and CMA CGM to reduce or even eliminate the passage of their containers via the port of Tangier destined for Algeria. Valencia and the Andalusian dock are now the main transshipment centers for CMA CGM on its routes with Algeria. As for Maersk, the majority of its traffic to areas like Algiers, Skikda and Béjaïa will now pass through Barcelona and Algeciras.