Surge in Cereal Traffic at Moroccan Ports in 2023

With a traffic increase of 6.4% by the end of May, the ports managed by the National Ports Agency of Morocco (ANP) are experiencing a significant rise in cereal traffic since the beginning of the year. According to a press release from the Moroccan port authority, « This variation in overall traffic confirms the upward trend observed during the first five months of the last five years. » However, this increase has slightly tapered off, as Moroccan port traffic showed a growth of 7.3% by the end of March. International Maritime Organization reports that the rise in traffic has occurred in both imports and exports. With 13.8 million tons, exports have increased by 7.4%. This performance is primarily attributed to a significant rebound in fertilizers, which increased by 52.2%, and phosphate, which rose by 8.8%. On the import side, coal has seen a 9% increase, particularly noticeable at the Port of Casablanca. In Safi, coal traffic has decreased, with shipments redirected to the Safi Atlantique terminal. In addition to coal, livestock feed and ammonia have also shown traffic increases, particularly at Jorf Lasfar and Agadir. Notably, cereals have boosted traffic at Moroccan ports, with a cereal traffic of 3.5 million tons over five months. During the first five months of the year, cereal traffic experienced a 38% increase, benefiting ports in Agadir, Casablanca, Jorf Lasfar, Safi, and Nador. The ANP attributes this performance in cereal imports to the drought conditions that marked this year’s agricultural campaign. To address this, the government has implemented exemptions on customs duties for imports. The ANP emphasizes the need for collective mobilization to manage this increase effectively. « In these challenging circumstances, cereal port traffic has reached an exceptional level in terms of both volumes handled and the number of cereal vessels received. The Agency’s services have doubled their vigilance to handle this exceptional peak situation, » states the Moroccan port authority. However, the performance has been tempered by operational disruptions. Among the decisions made by the port authority was the opening of terminals to accommodate cereal vessels. For instance, at Casablanca, the port expanded from two specialized berths to seven. In other ports, the number of berths for these vessels increased from one to two. Despite these efforts, the ANP indicates that evacuation operations have not kept pace with traffic. To reduce delays in cargo handling, the ANP calls for greater responsibility among logistics chain actors. « It is crucial to seriously address certain disruptions in the logistics chain, particularly those related to accelerating cargo evacuation rates. This requires increased mobilization of transport resources and reducing cargo handling times, » the ANP stresses. With these slowdowns in the logistics chain, vessels have sometimes had to wait at anchor or face longer unloading times. Faster handling of cargo, combined with efforts already undertaken to increase reception and storage capacity, will improve the port transit process for cereals and help manage the expected influx of arrivals, insists the ANP. For more information on maritime traffic trends, visit Maritime Executive.