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Morocco has launched a tender for companies to operate Africa’s largest shipyard under a 30-year concession. The facility, located in Casablanca, was built at a cost of $300 million.
The National Ports Agency (ANP) opened the tender this week, inviting experienced shipyard operators to bid on the development, equipment, and operation of the site, Abdellatif Lhouaoui, ANP’s communications director, told Bloomberg on Friday.
According to Lhouaoui, the goal is to «capture some of the demand currently handled by the saturated shipyards of southern Europe» and to service African vessels en route to Europe.
Prior to the construction of this new facility, Morocco had only small shipyards in Casablanca and Agadir, primarily serving the local fishing fleet.
The new Casablanca shipyard includes a 244-meter-long, 40-meter-wide dry dock and a vertical ship lift capable of handling vessels weighing up to 9,000 tons.
Lhouaoui noted that the shipyard is also expected to allow Morocco to carry out maintenance and repairs on its military vessels domestically, reducing the need to spend «hard currency» abroad.
As part of the tender process, bidders may also propose a shipbuilding component. «It’s a niche activity that bidders are free to include. We want to replicate the success story of our automotive industry», Lhouaoui added.
