Morocco – A country of opportunity
Having spent nearly a month in Morocco, almost 4000km on the road and meeting a range of inspiring people, I can safely say this is a great country of significant opportunity.
The opportunities are for shippers, logistics providers, shipping lines and terminals alike.
But what leads me to this conclusion?
Let us start with some hard data on container trades to and from Morocco.
In the first half of 2026 (1H 2026), the country imported 491,000 TEU and exported 155,000 TEU. This in itself is a significant challenge as the imbalance gives rise to the need to export almost 13,000 TEU empty each week.
Making matters worse, the imbalance for reefer containers goes in the opposite direction. 1H 2026 saw the export of 24,000 TEU of reefer cargo versus imports of just 10,000 TEU.
The simplest conclusion would be to simply state this a major problem, and the cause of significant additional cost for Moroccan trade.
But another, equally valid, perspective is that the presence of this many empty containers provides a ready-made access to equipment if manufacturers were to ramp up their production in Morocco.
And as luck would have it, manufacturers have additional good reasons for taking a look at ramping up in Morocco.
The country has a range of Free Trade Zones where it is possible to import part and components without incurring Moroccan import duties. Then perform the value-adding manufacturing in the Free Trade Zones and subsequently export to overseas markets.
Another reason for manufacturers to contemplate moving some of their operations to Morocco is the ongoing geopolitical instability.
The 2020s have been rife with constant supply chain disruptions, and it is highly likely geopolitical instability will continue to a long time into the future.
For especially importers in Europe, placement of some manufacturing in Morocco eliminates the physical dependency on Suez, Panama, Bab-el Mandeb and Hormuz. It even eliminates concerns relating to for example the Taiwan Strait or the South China Sea.
For importers in the US, especially the USEC would also eliminate dependency on the same troublesome areas. For the US there is presently the added benefit the trade relations between US and Morocco are good which means no additional punitive tariffs.
A sign of the good relations between the two countries presently is that in September 2026 the 1000 km highway in Western Sahara from Tiznit to Dakhla was renamed the “Donald J Trump Highway”.
So, for shippers there are benefits related to access to empty equipment, a relatively low-cost labour force (at least compared to for example Europe and the US) and a clear reduction in geopolitical supply chain risk.
But how about access to global markets?
Morocco presently have 3 important container ports, with 2 more poised to come.
Tangiers is the world’s 17th largest container port with a throughput of 11 million TEU in 2025. A significant portion of this is transhipment cargo, however it provides extremely good access to global container shipping markets and a range of the Free Trade Zones are located well in proximity to the port.
Using the UNCTAD Liner Connectivity data, Tangiers is the world’s 23rd most well-connected port.
Casablanca is the country’s main port for non-transhipment cargo and Agadir is quite a bit smaller and is an important export port for fish and fruit products.
These ports are not as well connected to the global liner network as Tangiers, although Casablanca does have a decent level of connectivity ranking just inside the 100 most well-connected ports in the world.
In terms of opportunity, improving and expanding on these facilities could capture additional growth in the hinterlands from these ports. As an example there is still opportunity to grow in the Atlantic Free Zone in Kenitra not far from Casablanca and the fruit producing region behind Agadir could benefit from improved connectivity – especially for their sensitive chilled reefer cargo.
Nador is just now switching from a small to a major container port. The prospect is for a capacity of some 3 million TEU initially scaling ultimately to potentially 12 million TEU. New logistics facilities and Free Trade Zone makes this a great potential opportunity for manufacturers on the look-out for new locations. However, realistically, the new port in Nador will mainly become a welcome addition to Tangiers, Algeciras and Valencia to combat transhipment congestion around the Strait of Gibraltar. Whilst of course at the same time increasing the competitive pressure on all these ports to the benefit of the shipping lines.
A new container port is also being developed in Dhakla in Western Sahara for completion in 2029. Honestly, I am struggling a bit more to see the potential here. There is virtually no hinterland cargo and there is also very limited availability of a labour force nearby. It has been voiced that it could tap into the markets in Mauretania as well as the Sahel, such as Mali and Burkina Faso. But even if this is the case, the volume is limited.
It then appears it is focused on being a transhipment hub. After all as port such as Salalah also does not have much local captive cargo yet is a successful hub. But for hubs it is all about location. Dhakla is located quite far away from the major crossroads in the Strait of Gibraltar making is a less attractive, less flexible, key hub.
My own perspective on this particular project is that it has to be seen in a geopolitical context as well. Morocco sees Western Sahara as an integral part of the country. Apart from the US and Israel no other countries have recognized Morocco’s claim. Establishing a large container port in the middle of the Western Sahara region could therefore be seen by the Moroccan government as a step in further solidifying their de-facto control over the region and in time convince more countries to support their territorial claim.
Additionally, in terms of connectivity, many of the Free Trade Zones are located such that moving cargo by truck allows exporters to reach markets in Spain and Portugal within 24 hours and France within 48 hours facilitated by frequent ferries across the Strait of Gibraltar with a transit time of typically just 1 hour.
This signals growth opportunities for not just shipping lines but also logistics operators offering fast overland services.
When the talk is focused on opportunities, it is relevant to ask whether the market with Morocco is growing, and by how much.
If we look over the past 5 years, Moroccan imports have grown 20% whilst exports have grown 57%. This should be seen in the context of global container trade which has “only” grown 10% in the same period.
What else have I observed worth noting?
The inland road infrastructure is very good. Many inter-city roads are 4-lane divided highways in very good condition and more are being built in connection with Morocco co-hosting the football world cup in 2030.
There is a considerable optimism amongst people when it comes to future trade and economic development. There is presently a 13% unemployment rate meaning that there is a labour to tap into for further growth.
All in all, Morocco is a country well worth taking a closer look at – especially for European and US East Coast importers looking for an alternative which is not subject to the potential disruptions in Suez, Panama, Hormuz and the South China Sea.
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