The Casablanca port served 2,558 calls during 2023, an increase of 10.2% compared to 2022.
With: The annual report of the Observatory of the competitiveness of ports managed by the ANP highlights significant growth in the number of calls and optimization of logistical processes at the port of Casablanca in 2023.
The connectivity of the port of Casablanca is strengthening. This can be noted from the port performance report established by the Observatory of the competitiveness of ports managed by the National Ports Agency (ANP) for the 2023 financial year. The Casablanca port has, in fact, served during the year 2,558 stopovers, an increase of 10.2% compared to 2022. We thus note an average of around 213 stopovers per month. Regarding land connectivity, it appears that 78% of goods other than container traffic, transiting via this port infrastructure, are transported by truck. Rail transport, for its part, constitutes a share of 22%. Likewise, 99% of boxed containers are transported by truck. Regarding the performance of port passage, the Observatory of the competitiveness of ports managed by the ANP reveals an increase of 12.7% in overall container activity.
“The port was served by a total of 1,202 post-container ships, compared to 1,070 ships in 2022, a positive development of 12.3% compared to the previous year”, we can note from the Observatory report . And to specify that “the monthly average is 100 stopovers”. It also appears that 69.4% of container traffic is transported by ships smaller than 2,501 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). Likewise, the average handling rate recorded is estimated at 1,110 TEU per call, i.e. virtual stagnation compared to 2022. The Observatory also indicates that in 93.7% of calls, the ships presented the notice of arrived on time. Likewise, 56.4% of ships respected the deadline for sending the request for allocation of positions.
Regarding the productivity of handling container ships, it increased at the port of Casablanca from an average of 13.4 boxes per hour in 2018 to 15.45 boxes per hour in 2023. Note that this productivity average reached around 20 boxes per hour in 2021. It should be noted that at the end of 2023, the waiting time for ships stranded container ship springs at 10.7 hours. At the same time, the productivity of handling container ships at the quayside reached an average of 24.9 boxes per hour in 2023. Regarding goods indicators, the Observatory notes a drop of 6.7% in the dwell time containers for export at the port of Casablanca. The average value is around 9 days compared to 9.2 in 2023. The stay of import containers was established at around 8.4 days for the year 2023 compared to 7.87 days in 2022. Regarding cereal activity at the port of Casablanca, the Observatory notes a significant increase in the waiting time for cereal ships. It stood at 46.6% in 2023 with an average duration of around 8.7 days.
“This development is explained by the simultaneous arrival of a large number of grain ships and the 12.7% increase in grain imports,” we can read from the Observatory report. In addition, the quayside handling efficiency of grain ships recorded a slight decrease of 0.9% compared to the year 2022, marking an average value of 7,050 tonnes per day compared to 7,110 tonnes per day. “This development is mainly driven by the decline in the rate of evacuation of silos by recipients,” we can remember in this regard. As for the phosphate activity, the handling productivity of phosphate ships increased by 11% in 2023 at the port of Casablanca, thus standing at around 11,405 tonnes per day compared to 10,270 tonnes in 2022. Thus, the average delay waiting times for phosphate vessels reached an average of 1.5 days, around the same duration recorded in 2022. The Observatory also highlights a 22% improvement in the quayside yield of phosphatizers at the port. The average value is estimated at 2,936 tonnes per day. This is explained by the 8.2% increase in average cargo per call. Regarding the efficiency of the port tool, the Observatory reports a significant increase in the productivity of the docks at the port of Casablanca. The latter reached around 653 TEUs, up 13% compared to 2022. Likewise, the productivity of container terminal spaces recorded an average value of around 10,850 TEUs per hectare.
