Rabat - Trade between Morocco, Libya, Tunisia, and Spain is set to receive a boost from a new maritime trade route that is slated to open in March. According to a report from the Tunis Afrique Presse Agency (TAP), the route will be dedicated specifically to container transportation and will link the port of Sfax with destinations in Morocco, Spain, and Libya. Malek Aloui, the spokesperson for this new maritime venture, disclosed in an interview with TAP that final preparations on both administrative and logistical fronts are rapidly nearing completion.  The new shipping service is highly “competitive,” Aloui explained, highlighting its attractive pricing and shortened travel durations.  Travel to Morocco will be accomplished in just four days, while voyages to Spain will take a mere six days. Departures from Sfax will occur twice a month, promising increased connectivity for businesses, he added.  In the report, TAP noted that Sfax is poised to benefit from the new venture as it will bolster its commercial ties with key partners in the region. The new route is part of Morocco’s broader strategy to strengthen its position as a regional maritime trade hub. In November 2022, Morocco’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohammed Abdeljalil, said his ministry was in the process of launching a study for the creation of a “strong and competitive” national Maritime commercial fleet.  As of 2023, Morocco was developing important port hubs along the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. The country was equally investing in infrastructure to connect the ports to industrial complexes using highway networks and railways.

This strategy has already allowed the country to attract international investment in maritime transport, elevating Morocco’s maritime connectivity index internationally, ranking it 20th globally, as it is now connected to more than 184 ports in 71 countries.