While shipping companies had to find solutions to redirect the flows that normally circulated between Spain and Morocco in a context of closed borders, new lines have opened, particularly between Marseille and Tangier. Today, several shipping companies seem to be betting on this line, according to Jeune Afrique.
Among these players who intend to take advantage of these lines, we find the French company La Méridionale of giant Stef, which targets between 3% and 5% of the freight market between Europe and Morocco. This bet, others have made before without success, because the land flow is shorter and the shipping lines are not subsidized. But the novelty for La Méridionale is to offer mixed-use vessels whose profitability is based on the mixture of passengers and road trailers and all the vessels were full this summer, especially with the automotive manufacturers.
But the company is not going to stop there and is hoping that the refrigerated trailers, numbering 40 to 60 per ship, could appeal to Moroccan fruit and vegetable exporters. “The frequency, transit time, regularity and ecological aspect of this line could certainly be of interest to our customers,” said Asma El Fali, Marketing Director of the MFB Group.
Also, the only sea journey to Marseille saves more than 1 tonne of CO2 per trailer and reduces emissions by 42% compared to a completely road journey through Algeciras, argues Olof Gylden, international sales director of La Méridionale.
Several groups are following these new lines closely, such as the Italian Grandi Navi Veloci (GNV), already present in Sète on the passenger flow to Morocco or the Spanish Baleària, a subsidiary of the giant Mediterranean Shipping Company (MSC), both interested by developing a network between the western Mediterranean and Morocco.
