MOROCCO’S PORTS ACTIVITY IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF 2024

The overall volume of commercial traffic handled by Morocco’s ports in the first quarter of 2024 reached 55.2 million tonnes, compared with 48.8 million tonnes in the same period of the previous year, an increase of 13.3%. Domestic traffic recorded a volume of 28.3 million tonnes, an increase of 8%, while transhipment reached a volume of 26.9 million tonnes, an increase of 19.5% compared with the first quarter of 2023.

The breakdown of traffic was dominated by transhipment, which accounted for 48.7% of overall traffic, followed by imports (31.5%), exports (16%) and cabotage (3.1%).

Imports reached a volume of 17.4 million tonnes (+11.3%), exports a volume of 8.8 million tonnes (+7.5%), cabotage a volume of 1.7 million tonnes (-15.2%) and bunkering of hydrocarbons a volume of 422.8 thousand tonnes (+5.7%), all to the benefit of ships transiting the Straits of Gibraltar.

In terms of the main strategic traffic handled by Moroccan ports, the 1st quarter of 2024 saw an increase in container traffic (2.6 million TEUs/+16.8%), imported hydrocarbons (2.9 million tonnes/+9%), cereals (2.7 million tonnes/+40.4%), phosphates and related products (6.8 million tonnes/+25.2%), international road transport (149,131 units/+8.3%) and new vehicles (173,199 units/+19.1%). 131 units/+8.3%) and new vehicles (173,199 units/+19.1%), on the one hand, and the fall in coal traffic (2.5 million tonnes/-9.5%), on the other.

In terms of passenger traffic, Moroccan ports saw 576,955 passengers pass through at the end of March 2024, a fall of 4.9% compared with the same period the previous year. Cruise activity was also down by 45.4%, with 37,456 cruise passengers.

The volume of landings of coastal and artisanal maritime fishing products for the 1st quarter of 2024 fell by 14% to 181,280 tonnes.

Source : MINISTÈRE DE L’EQUIPEMENT ET DE L’EAU