As the shipbuilding industry entered a new round of prosperity, Morocco, a coastal country in northwest Africa, has launched a shipyard construction program.
Recently, Morocco’s National Ports Agency (MNP) launched an international tender process for the construction and operation of a new shipyard in Casablanca, with the aim of replicating Morocco’s successful experience in the automotive manufacturing sector. The successful bidder will receive a 30-year concession to operate the new shipyard. The official tender document was released on April 7, local time.
The tender is open to global companies with at least 10 years of experience in shipyard operation. It allows both independent bidder and consortium bidder. If a consortium bids, the lead company must have experience in shipyard operation. The deadline for this tender is December 31, 2025. The Morocco’s MNP aims to seek partners through bidding to oversee the development, operation and maintenance of the new shipyard.
A person from the Moroccan Ministry of Industry emphasized in an interview with Bloomberg: “Bidders are free to make proposals, and various investment opportunities, including ship parts manufacturing, are open. We hope to replicate the success of the automotive industry in the shipbuilding industry.”
With the strong will of the Moroccan government, many potential bidders will participate in the tender. French Naval Group and South Korean HD Hyundai Heavy Industries are seen as strong bidders for the tender. At the same time, Spanish state-owned shipbuilder Navantia Group is also interested, but the industry believes that Navantia will not have a chance to participate because the tender is aimed at helping Morocco not lose to Spain’s logistics industry in the competition in the shipbuilding industry.
According to South Korean media, Morocco hopes to ensure the construction of 100 commercial ships by 2040 and has shown great interest in the shipbuilding technology of HD Hyundai, South Korea’s largest shipbuilding group. Last November, Nizar Baraka, Moroccan Minister of Utilities and Water Resources, visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan Shipyard and met with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries CEO Lee Sang-gyun to discuss cooperation.
Recently, Moroccan Minister of Industry and Trade Ryad Mezzour also visited HD Hyundai Heavy Industries’ Ulsan Shipyard during his visit to South Korea. He shared the news of his meeting with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries executives on social media, saying, “This is a great opportunity to strengthen industrial cooperation between the two countries and seek promising partnership solutions in cutting-edge manufacturing to bring a bright future to Moroccan industry.” Korean media interpreted this as a positive signal that HD Hyundai Heavy Industries may succeed in the bid.
According to the tender documents, the proposed new shipyard is located in Casablanca, the largest city in Morocco as well as the largest commercial port and the largest industrial base. The shipyard covers an area of about 210,000 square meters, with a total investment of about US$300 million. It will build a 244-meter-long and 40-meter-wide dry dock, a 150-meter-long and 28-meter-wide lifting platform that can bear 9,000 tons, a 62-meter-long and 13-meter-wide pool equipped with a 450-ton gantry crane, and an 820-meter-long outfitting quay and other major facilities, capable of building merchant vessels, warships and fishing boats.
Upon completion, the new shipyard is expected to be the largest in Africa and will significantly upgrade Morocco’s port infrastructure, which will not only promote regional industrial development, but also have the potential to create skilled jobs.