Morocco Launches Bid for Africa's Largest Shipyard in Casablanca
Doha – Morocco's National Ports Agency (ANP) has opened an international tender for a 30-year concession to operate Africa's largest shipyard, a $300 million facility in Casablanca that aims to replicate the country's success in automotive manufacturing.
The state-run agency is seeking experienced operators to develop, equip, and manage the 52-acre facility, ANP Communications Director Abdellatif Lhouaoui told Bloomberg in a telephone interview.
'We aim to capture demand from the saturated shipyards in southern Europe and cater to African ships heading to Europe,' he said.
According to Spanish outlet El Confidencial, the facility surpasses existing shipyards across Africa, including South Africa's recreational vessel facilities, and notably outscales Morocco's current smaller operations in Casablanca and Agadir, which primarily service fishing vessels.
The new shipyard's specifications, detailed in ANP's official tender document dated April 7, outline four major installations.
These include a 244-meter by 40-meter dry dock; a 150-meter by 28-meter lifting platform with 9,000-tonne capacity; a 62-meter by 13-meter basin equipped with a 450-ton gantry crane; and 820 linear meters of outfitting quays. The facility encompasses 21 hectares of open terrain for operations.
Industry sources cited by El Confidencial indicate French naval contractor Naval Group and South Korea's Hyundai, operator of the world's largest shipyard in Ulsan, are likely frontrunners for the contract.
Spain's state-owned Navantia 'appears to have very few options', as the Casablanca facility is reportedly designed to compete with Spanish operations, the publication suggested.
'It's a niche activity which bidders can totally propose. We want to replicate the car industry story,' Lhouaoui told Bloomberg, noting that bidders can propose shipbuilding components during the tender process.
The facility will service commercial, military, and fishing vessels, allowing Morocco to maintain its military fleet domestically rather than spending 'hard currency' abroad – a significant advantage for a country planning to loosen its currency peg in 2026.
The development follows Morocco's successful maritime and industrial expansion pattern. The country's Tanger-Med port recorded an 18.8% growth in 2024, processing 10.24 million containers. This growth contrasts with stagnating figures at Spain's competing Algeciras port.
Morocco's automotive sector has shown similar success, with Renault and Stellantis (formerly PSA) facilities exporting over 500,000 vehicles to the European Union in 2023, valued at €15.1 billion.
The automotive industry now represents 27% of Morocco's exports and 16% of GDP, surpassing both remittances and tourism revenues.
The tender requirements, published in French, specify that bidding companies must demonstrate at least ten years of experience operating comparable shipyards. Candidates can bid independently or as part of a consortium led by an experienced operator.
The project emerged as particularly strategic following the autumn 2022 redirect of Russian fishing fleet maintenance from Spanish Canary Island ports to Moroccan facilities, due to sanctions related to the Ukraine conflict.
Read also: Maersk Shifts Major Shipping Route from Algeciras to Tanger Med Tags: shipyardThe National Ports Agency (ANP)
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