In this interview with Le360, Brahim Yacoubi Soussane, administrator and CEO of the holding company Soyapar, active in towing, sea rescue, and agribusiness, and president of the Naval Industry Cluster of Morocco (CINM), explains the reasons behind the creation of this group, its objectives, and the role it intends to play in establishing a strong and competitive national merchant marine fleet.
The Naval Industry Cluster of Morocco (CINM), the first cluster dedicated to the maritime economy, was officially launched after King Mohammed VI’s speech on November 6, 2023, by Moroccan professionals in the blue economy. What were the reasons behind its creation?
The Naval Industry Cluster of Morocco (CINM), whose creation was formalized in April 2023, is a collective initiative led by several private actors from the maritime, industrial, and technological sectors. However, we can consider King Mohammed VI’s speech calling for the establishment of a strong and competitive national merchant marine fleet and the development of a maritime economy, during the celebration of the 48th anniversary of the Green March on November 6, 2023, as the true birth of our organization, as this speech outlined our true roadmap.
Can you outline the main pillars of this roadmap?
Our main objectives are first and foremost to bring together the various private and public actors in the maritime, port, industrial, and technological ecosystem to work towards the development of the shipbuilding industry in Morocco and to contribute to ensuring the industrial sovereignty of our country to meet the needs of its military fleet, fishing, and merchant marine. The CINM also aims to promote the development of a Made in Morocco offer in the shipbuilding industry, competitive and with high added value, to create jobs and wealth and to attract foreign direct investments.
Who are the founding members of the CINM?
The founding members of the cluster are professionals from the maritime sector, namely commercial, fishing, and service shipowners, operators in the ship repair and construction industry, suppliers of maritime equipment, experts, and training organizations. We continue to receive new membership requests from professionals from different regions of the Kingdom, from north to south. The CINM aims to bring together the entire ecosystem of the shipbuilding industry in Morocco, both public and private.
As an expert in the sector, what, in your opinion, is the strategy to be put in place to rebuild a strong and competitive national merchant marine fleet and establish a true maritime economy? And how does your cluster plan to participate in this?
The establishment of a strong and competitive merchant marine fleet and the development of a maritime economy require, from our point of view, the presence of a true maritime transport industry. We already have world-class port infrastructure, but we need to complement it with a strong ecosystem in the shipbuilding industry, a strong maritime administration, new maritime legislation, a high-level maritime training system, etc. We are convinced that our country now has the necessary resources to have this maritime ambition. Tanger Med is the greatest illustration of this, and our cluster is ready to participate in this collective effort.
Indeed, Morocco has many assets in the maritime economy sector, especially through the Tanger Med port and future port complexes like Nador West Med and Dakhla Atlantique. How could we develop a Made in Morocco offer in the shipbuilding industry to attract more foreign investments?
We can only congratulate ourselves on these port projects, which represent the embodiment of His Majesty’s maritime vision. It is clear that Morocco has changed its ambition, as we are no longer building simple ports, but port and industrial ecosystems. In this regard, we can only be pleased that at the Dakhla Atlantique port, an industrial zone dedicated to the shipbuilding industry has already been planned and that at the Nador West Med port, there are still opportunities for this activity.
We should also congratulate the National Ports Agency (ANP) for what already exists in the different Moroccan ports, notably the establishment of the shipyard in Casablanca, which is a great achievement for our activity. Thanks to the Kingdom’s successful experience in the automotive and aerospace industries, we have the necessary expertise to develop an attractive and competitive Made in Morocco offer in the ship repair and construction industry. The CINM aims to make a significant contribution in this field, and we hope that in the coming months, we will be able to participate in concrete initiatives on this subject.
