Moroccan ports have recorded a significant evolution of overall port traffic, which has risen from 172.1 million tons in 2020 to 192.1 million tons in 2021, i.e. an increase of 11.6%.
According to a statement by the ministry of Equipment and Water, domestic traffic recorded a volume of 111.5 million tons (+1.5%) while transshipment reached a volume of 80.5 million tons, a significant growth of 29.5% compared to 2020.
Indeed, despite the effects of the global health crisis, the maritime and port sectors have overall shown great resilience to the Covid-19 pandemic, ensuring the continuity of global supply chains during the year 2021, the ministry said.
Last year was marked by the predominance of transshipment activity over imports, a first in the history of port traffic in Morocco, the ministry said, adding that transshipment accounted for 41.9% of overall traffic, followed by imports of 33.3%, exports of 20.8%, coastal shipping of 3.2% and bunkering of 0.8%.
According to data released by the ministry, imports amounted, under the year 2021, to more than 63 million tons, marking a quasi-stagnation compared to 2020 (-0.03%), explained mainly by the change in traffic of cereals (7, 2 million tons / 23.9%), sulfur (6.8 million tons / 5.1%), ammonia (1.6 million tons / 12.9%), coal (11.2 million tons / +7.8%) and hydrocarbons (11.2 million tons / +12.6%).
As for exports, they reached in 2021 a volume of 39.9 million tons (+1.7% compared to the year 2020), due mainly to phosphoric acid (3.8 million tons/+7%), containers (4.8 million tons/+2%), raw phosphate (9.4 million tons/-5.6%), fertilizers (10.9 million tons/-6.8%) and clinker (1.2 million tons/-2.5%).
