Port of Casablanca, Tanger Med, and soon Nador West Med and Dakhla Atlantique… As Morocco surpasses its port development goals in terms of infrastructure expansion and traffic growth, maritime agents find themselves on the front line. Réda Benjelloun, president of the Professional Association of Maritime Agents, Ship Consignees, and Charter Brokers of Morocco, reflects on the Kingdom’s maritime ambitions. In 2025, Morocco is already anticipating traffic objectives that were initially set for 2030.
Réda Benjelloun: Tanger Med Port is currently ranked 17th globally in terms of capacity and 3rd in terms of performance. With the commissioning of Nador West Med in 2026, Morocco will benefit from an additional port capacity of 3 million containers. The Port of Casablanca is also breaking records — it already reached 1.6 million containers in 2024 and is seeing a 20% increase in 2025. All of this suggests that Morocco will reach the 270-million-ton port traffic target, originally set for 2030, as early as this year, 2025. This represents a major challenge for us to maintain the current level of port performance despite the surge in volumes, especially with the large-scale infrastructure projects being undertaken in preparation for hosting the 2030 World Cup. In any case, maritime agents are fully committed to continuing to work alongside the maritime and port community to meet these challenges.
His Majesty King Mohammed VI has launched a new Atlantic vision for the Kingdom. How is APRAM involved in this Royal Initiative?
Our association, APRAM, fully supports His Majesty King Mohammed VI’s Atlantic Maritime Vision — may God glorify Him. Thanks to this vision, Morocco has become a major port and logistics hub in both the Mediterranean and Africa. The development of our port sector over the past twenty years, through projects like Tanger Med and Nador West Med — and soon the Dakhla Atlantique port — demonstrates the vast potential of our country. In 2024, Moroccan ports handled over 240 million tons of cargo, a new record. Maritime agents are fully engaged in improving Morocco’s maritime connectivity, particularly by opening new regular lines with Africa. We are working with shipowners to offer ever more competitive logistics solutions in service of our foreign trade, as well as our importers and exporters.
What are the priority areas of focus for APRAM’s maritime agent members?
Our association brings together professionals from the maritime and port sectors who work daily to streamline port operations and contribute to the competitiveness of Morocco’s logistics sector. We are a vital link in the maritime transport logistics chain, and our priorities are aligned with the sector’s major strategic challenges.
Digitalization is a key focus, where our association has been a pioneer — notably with the implementation of the National Single Window for Foreign Trade, PORTNET, in which we are shareholders. Since its creation, in partnership with the National Ports Agency (ANP), we have worked to simplify and digitize port procedures.
Professional development is also a top priority. We are working with the Directorate of Merchant Marine to improve the regulatory framework governing access to and practice of the profession. We are also investing in training young professionals to ensure succession planning and provide skilled human resources for our sector.
Source: lematin
