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, an increase of 11.6 percent
According to a statement by the Ministry of Equipment and Water, domestic traffic recorded a volume of 111.5 million tons (+1.5 percent) while transshipment reached a volume of 80.5 million tons, significant growth of 29.5 percent compared to 2020.
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 percent of overall traffic, followed by imports of 33.3 percent exports of 20.8 percent coastal shipping of 3.2 percent and bunkering of 0.8 percent.
According to data released by the ministry, imports in 2021 amounted to more than 63 million tons, marking a quasi-stagnation compared to 2020 (-0.03 percent) explained mainly by the change in traffic of cereals (7, 2 million tons / 23.9 percent), sulfur (6.8 million tons / 5.1 percent), ammonia (1.6 million tons / 12.9 percent), coal (11.2 million tons / +7.8 percent) and hydrocarbons (11.2 million tons / +12.6 percent).
As for exports, they reached in 2021 a volume of 39.9 million tons (+1.7 percent compared to the year 2020), due mainly to phosphoric acid (3.8 million tons/+7 percent), containers (4.8 million tons/+2 percent), raw phosphate (9.4 million tons/-5.6 percent), fertilizers (10.9 million tons/-6.8 percent) and clinker (1.2 million tons/-2.5 percent)