Morocco Imposes New Container Tax on Importers, Favoring Maersk Subsidiary

The decision, which takes effect from May 1, will apply to all "dry" (dry) and "reefer" (refrigerated) containers from Europe and the Mediterranean whose delivery is provided by another structure than the Maersk subsidiary in the ports of Casablanca, Agadir and Tangier, explained the daily L’Économiste.

According to the newspaper, this new development will put an end to the current practice which gives importers the freedom to have a service provider of their choice ensure the transport of containers to the delivery sites. "From now on, this practice should come to an end if the importer agrees to bear an additional cost of 250 dirhams," the newspaper also warns, noting that Sealand wants to take care of the transport of containers itself.

And the newspaper reveals that the international maritime logistics firm has made such a decision to ensure "better control over its equipment, optimization of its land transport for exports and better management of the flows of its empty containers at the depot level".

In addition to this tax, the container leader recommends a system of appointment scheduling that must be made 24 hours in advance. This will impact the delivery times of imports, adds L’Économiste.

On the other hand, analyzes the daily, the new tax comes in a tense financial context due to the health crisis of Covid-19 which had already caused a disorganization of maritime transport marked by a rise in container freight rates. And the newspaper notes that the new tax will clearly increase the charges to port operators already facing a difficult situation.