Morocco’s Port Traffic Surges 12.4% Despite Pandemic, Boosted by New Facilities

This result is first explained by the ramp-up of the operation of the port of Tanger Med II and the New Port of Safi, and then by the positive development of traffic related to phosphates, as well as cereals, the volume of which imported has reached a record never known by Morocco.

Imports stood at more than 66.3 million tons in 2020 (+6.9% compared to 2019), marking an increase in imports of cereals (9.4 million tons/+35.2%), coal (10.4 million tons/+3.1%), sulfur (7.2 million tons/+8.8%), ammonia (1.9 million tons/+17.5%) and hydrocarbons (13.1 million tons/+3.2%).

As for exports, they reached a volume of around 40.9 million tons (+8.6% compared to 2019), mainly thanks to raw phosphate (10 million tons/+4.3%), fertilizers (11.7 million tons/+34.4%), containers (4.7 million tons/+10.4%), clinker (1.3 million tons/+14.7%) and phosphoric acid (3.5 million tons/-9.2%).

With a volume of 5.1 million tons in 2020, cabotage traffic between Moroccan ports fell by 7.3% compared to the previous year. Thus, the Tanger Med port complex has established itself as an essential logistics platform in the Mediterranean basin in terms of transshipment, reaching a record level of 59.8 million tons during the year 2020, an increase of 24.7% compared to 2019.

However, notes the ministry, the health crisis has negatively impacted certain traffic, such as that of new vehicles produced in Morocco, which reached 425,378 units in 2020, of which more than 75.5% for export, a decrease of 27.8% compared to the previous year, due to the temporary suspension of the activity of the main operators in Morocco.

On the passenger side, Moroccan ports recorded an 80.4% drop compared to 2019 (around 1 million PAX in 2020), due to the suspension of international travel and health measures. For cruise traffic, Moroccan ports recorded 27,339 cruise passengers, a drop of 85.9% compared to 2019. There was also a decline in the volume of landings of coastal and artisanal fishing products. During the year 2020, traffic fell by 7.1% to stand at 1.29 million tons.