After about 18 months of evaluation and three finalist groups, Morocco has cancelled the 30-year Casablanca shipyard concession tender. No replacement operating model has been announced.
On 7 April 2025, the National Ports Agency (ANP) opened an international tender for a 30-year concession to operate the Casablanca shipyard. The project is valued at roughly 2.6 billion dirhams, or about $260 million.
The ANP board reviewed the evaluations and adopted a new strategic direction. The cancellation was reported on 1 October 2026, after about 18 months of evaluation and with three consortia still in the running. No winner was named. Reporting that cited Médias24 said the decision was not tied to the bidders or their offers. Instead, it reflected concerns about national sovereignty and a push to build a domestic industrial ecosystem.
The yard covers 21 hectares. It has a 244 m by 40 m dry dock and a 9,000-ton lift platform, with facilities designed to service commercial, military and fishing vessels. Local ship repair could support fleet readiness and keep more maintenance work in Morocco. The economic impact will depend on the operating model, investment and workforce development.
The finalists were Somagec with HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Kuzey Star Shipyard; Radi Holding with Marina Meridional and Ningbo Xinle Shipbuilding Group; and Italy's San Giorgio del Porto. The reported explanation centers on policy, not the quality of the bids. None of the groups was selected to take over the concession.
Morocco is also pursuing transport infrastructure projects. One example is airport upgrades backed by a signed financing agreement with the African Development Bank, covered in airport expansion financing. The shipyard tender ended without a concessionaire. Domestic repair capacity could keep maritime spending in the country and support a national fleet, but those gains are not assured. They would require a workable funding and operating plan.
The state has not said what will replace the concession. Direct public operation, a hybrid arrangement or a new tender remain possibilities, not decisions. The reported board action is not the same as a later formal notice. The ANP's official channels are relevant for agency decisions, while MAP's news service provides official Moroccan news coverage. The cancellation report does not establish a replacement model. Nothing is settled.
In 2023, King Mohammed VI called for a strong national merchant marine fleet. The cancellation fits a policy direction that favors domestic capacity over handing a strategic maritime asset to a long-term concessionaire. Morocco now has to turn greater control into a workable operating model and a stronger industrial base, without leaving the yard's future unresolved.
