Morocco's port management company Marsa Maroc has signed a €65 million (MAD 690 million) financing agreement with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) to fund projects aimed at expanding capacity and optimizing operations at its multipurpose terminals in the ports of Casablanca and Jorf Lasfar.
The agreement, signed by EBRD President Odile Renaud-Basso and Marsa Maroc's Managing Director Tarik El Aroussi, will finance infrastructure projects aimed at expanding the capacity of the Group's multipurpose terminals at the ports of Casablanca and Jorf Lasfar. It also provides for the acquisition of electric rail cranes and hybrid cranes for the terminals, according to a press release from Marsa Maroc on Friday.
These projects will boost the sustainability of these port infrastructures through the acquisition and operation of more efficient electric rail cranes, as well as an increase in handling capacity, which should result in greater energy efficiency through a reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions per cargo handled, notes the same source.
The sustainable dimension of these projects is also enhanced by the civil engineering works at the Jorf Lasfar multipurpose terminal, which will incorporate climate resilience measures into the design of the quays to reduce sensitivity to sea-level rise.
El Aroussi, stressed that "this financing will enable Marsa Maroc to improve the attractiveness of its terminals, provide its customers with sustainable port facilities and offer more capacity to better serve and strengthen the competitiveness of Moroccan trade,” the press release reports.
