فاس نيوز ميديا جريدة الكترونية جهوية تعنى بشؤون و أخبار جهة فاس مكناس – متجددة على مدار الساعة
Morocco, as a country with two maritime borders on the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, faces increasing challenges and opportunities to enhance its capabilities in the maritime industries, which today have become a key focus of the global blue economy.
This direction is part of a rapidly evolving international dynamic, with World Bank estimates suggesting that the blue economy generates around $1.5 trillion annually worldwide, with expectations to reach $3 trillion by 2030.
Despite the Kingdom’s extensive coastline of over 3,500 kilometers, the maritime industry’s contribution to GDP remains below 2.5%, according to data from the Ministry of Industry and Trade. Currently, Morocco’s maritime activity is primarily focused on traditional fishing and aquaculture, while sectors like shipbuilding and maintenance, advanced maritime services, maritime transport, and renewable marine energy are still in development.
In a statement to Agence France-Presse (AFP), French maritime economics expert Jean-Luc Gosselin emphasized that Morocco “has strategic maritime potential that could enable it to become an important regional player in maritime industries, provided it adopts a comprehensive vision that integrates vocational training, industrial innovation, and stimulates foreign investment.”
In this regard, the experiences of leading countries like Norway and South Korea stand out. These nations have successfully developed integrated industrial chains, including advanced shipbuilding, sustainable utilization of marine resources, and offshore renewable energy technologies. This presents Morocco with the challenge of modernizing its maritime infrastructure, particularly its shipbuilding yards, and enhancing specialized expertise in this sector.
On another front, investments in ports are a critical factor. The Tangier Med Port, ranked among the most active ports in the Mediterranean according to international reports, serves as a model for enhancing maritime connectivity and stimulating industries linked to maritime logistics services. However, experts believe that expanding this model to include other ports such as Sidi Ifni, Agadir, and Dakhla could create an integrated maritime industrial system across the Kingdom.
Additionally, Moroccan economic stakeholders emphasize the need to accelerate research and development in maritime technology and explore opportunities for cooperation with international research centers to transfer and localize knowledge. This comes amid growing international competition over the exploitation of sea resources, including marine minerals and renewable marine energy—an emerging sector in Morocco that holds significant promise due to the natural resources along its coastline.
Amid these challenges, observers believe that Morocco’s success in enhancing its maritime industries will depend on the establishment of a comprehensive national strategy for the blue economy, based on integration between various sectors involved, with incentives that can attract both domestic and foreign private investments.
Source: Fes News Media
