Morocco Geography Infrastructure Road infrastructure ports industrial zones Road transport
At the interior level, road transport is still dominating since it represents 75% of goods traffic and 95% of passenger transport. A vast program of infrastructure modernization aiming at equipping the country with a road network with a view to keep abreast with the country’s economic and social development has been carried out.
Today, Morocco has 32 000 km of surfaced roads and 600 km of motorways. Construction rate of motorways has now passed from an average of 50 km to nearly 150 km per year.A priority programme of realization was established on the basis of the realization of an annual linear of 100 km between 1994 and 2004.
It covers a 1000 km linear totalizing about 20 billion dirhams.
With regard to roads and tracks, the government also accelerated the execution rate to move from 1 000 to 1 500 km Per annum, a particular attention is given to the still enclosed road infrastructures of the North.
Railway transport:
Founded in 1963, the National office of Railroads (ONCF) operates on three strategically independent markets i.e. the transport of travellers, the transport of goods and the transport of phosphate. They represent about 25%, 25% and 50% respectively of the ONCF earnings.
The railways network extends over a surface of 1 907 km including 1 006 km electrified and 370 km double way. Passenger traffic (15,6 million travellers transported in 2003) the total transported tonnage represented 30,5 million tons in 2003. Within the framework of the economic plan of development, the objective is to carry tonnage, thanks to the acquisition of about one hundred new coaches. Other great projects are scheduled in the medium term and will concern the major Moroccan cities (Casablanca, Fez, Meknes, Rabat, Marrakesh, Al-Jadida...), which will be equipped with a network of modern stations similar to the one already existing in Tangier. Therefore, the linking of certain cities to the national rail network (Agadir, etc...) will take place for the first time.
Air transport:
Morocco has 14 commercial airports whose annual total activity has reached about 7,6 million passengers in 2004. The Management, investment and exploitation depends on the National office of Airports, a state-owned establishment with commercial and industrial ends which was created in January 1990 following transformation of the Casablanca Office of Airports.
Concerning the realization of infrastructures, the development plan of the ONDA for the five years to come is ambitious and aims at preparing the air transport sector for the changes and challenges to take up during the ten next years. This plan lies within the framework of the national objective of 10 million tourists by 2010.
maritime transport:
Maritime transport ensures 98 % of the Moroccan foreign trade and 72% of the harbour traffic are ensured by the ports of Casablanca, Mohammedia and Jorf Lasfar. Loose goods represent 83% of the total tonnage. Morocco has a littoral of 3 500 km and a developed harbour infrastructure:
- More than 1 210 ha of basins
- More than 32 000 linear meter of quays and wharves
- More than 46 000 l m of piers and dams
- 13 installations of naval repair
- 8 specialized terminals (ore tankers, hydrocarbons, cereals...)
- 4 harbour stations
- 5 docks silos
- 5 footbridges
There are:
- 11 commercial ports,: NADOR, TANGIER, KENITRA-MEHDIA, MOHAMMEDIA, CASABLANCA, JORF-LASFAR, SAFI, AGADIR, TAN-TAN, LAAYOUNE and DAKHLA.
-11 regional ports of local traffic mainly used for fishing: SAIDIA, RAS KEBDANA, JEBHA, Al HOCEIMA, M’DIQ, LARACHE, AL JADIDA, ESSAOUIRA, SIDI-IFNI, TARFAYA and BOUJDOUR.
5 marinas: SABLES D’OR, RESTINGA-SMIR, KABILA, ASILAH, MARINA of AGADIR and SAIDIA (under construction).
We should add to this list the future commercial Port of Tangier-Mediterranean (cost estimated at 10 MAD). This port is expected to win, when it becomes operative in 2007, a prominent position similar to that of the ports of Casablanca, Mohammedia and Jorf Lasfar. It will rebalance the flow of exchanges and therefore release the Casablanca port, instigate the northern economic tissue of the country thanks to a specific activity of transhipment. In fact, lying on the strait of Gibraltar, opposite to Algesiras, the future port is expected to win a part of this transhipment activity of the Mediterranean basin.
For further information: www.odep.org.ma
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