Speaking at the “Trade” workshop held during the 8th edition of the Blue Economy Forum, Kamal Lakhmas, Central Director and Commander of Tanger Med Port, highlighted the major contribution of the port complex to Morocco’s logistics competitiveness and international maritime connectivity.
He emphasized that Tanger Med has become a strategic transit hub for approximately 20% of global maritime trade, with over 100,000 ships passing annually through the Strait of Gibraltar.
Mr. Lakhmas also underlined efforts in the area of energy transition and carbon footprint reduction, within an environmentally responsible approach that balances logistical performance and sustainability. He pointed out the creation of more than 1,400 companies in the port’s integrated industrial zones, resulting in over 140,000 direct jobs.
In the same context, Afaf Saidi, Director of Aerospace, Railway, Naval and Renewable Energy Industries at the Ministry of Industry and Trade, affirmed that Morocco has a robust and well-established industrial base, supported by a structured ecosystem.
She noted that the shipbuilding sector, deemed strategic in the Investment Charter, is the focus of an ambitious plan targeting 2030, aiming to mobilize over 4.5 billion dirhams in public and private investments, create between 5,500 and 8,000 direct jobs, and generate an additional GDP exceeding 1.5 billion dirhams.
The plan revolves around four main pillars: ship repair and maintenance, construction of vessels under 120 meters, development of offshore platforms, and renewal of the national fleet, 90% of which currently consists of wooden ships.
