Moroccan ports handle more than 95% of Morocco’s foreign trade. Among the 33 ports
under the supervision of the regulator, Agence Nationale des Ports (ANP) and operated
by the semi public company Société d’Exploitation des Ports (SODEP, also called Marsa
Maroc), Casablanca port is one of the largest in Africa and handles more than 38% of
the country’s overall imported and exported goods.
To benefit from its strategic geographical location as a gateway to Europe and Africa
and become an international logistic platform, the Moroccan government initiated major
reforms to improve the competitiveness of its ports. These reforms continue to create
opportunities for U.S. suppliers as the Moroccan ports are brought into the international
sphere of regulations and agreements. The Moroccan Government, through the ANP,
will invest approximately $355 million in 2011-2015 to upgrade the ports infrastructure
along its expansive Atlantic coastline. ANP has begun the construction of a third
container port in Casablanca. In 2011-2012, ANP will launch the construction of a new
port in Safi that will be used to import coal for the National Office of Electricity’s thermal
station, scheduled to open in 2014, and extend the terminals in Agadir and Nador. ANP
will allocate 20% of the total budget to procure the following equipment