Where is the genius who said in 2026 after visiting Agadir that the ports of Morocco had nothing to do against Las Palmas for ’20 or 30 years’?. The logistics giant DP World, owned by the state of Dubai, has strengthened this year the Atlas line, a strategic maritime service that directly connects the ports of Agadir and Casablanca with London (United Kingdom) and Antwerp (Belgium). Among the Arab funds in
From the Canary Islands, 21,500 tonnes of tomatoes were exported compared to 53,000 in 2017 (-59%). Only between 2021 and 2023, 170 hectares have been lost in the islands. DP World was known for its terminals but has completed a global restructuring process unifying its maritime brands —Unifeeder, P&O Ferrymasters, and P&O Maritime Logistics— under a single corporate identity.
With a fleet of 150 vessels and a network that connects more than 200 ports, the company seeks to present itself as a comprehensive logistics provider. This transformation marks DP World’s definitive shift from port operator to multimodal solutions giant, facilitating Moroccan farmers and European retailers to operate in a more fluid global market with lower environmental impact.
This new route, which has been operating with two dedicated vessels since November 2025, promises to transform the trade of fresh products between North Africa and Northern Europe. By shifting the transportation of fruits and vegetables from road to sea, the service will reduce delivery times in the UK by up to two days, ensuring higher quality and freshness of products on European supermarket shelves at a more competitive cost.
This means that the Canary market continues to narrow the margin it had with the UK and Benelux. The journey of over 3,000 kilometers that thousands of trucks traditionally undertake will be replaced by a solution that reduces carbon emissions by 70%. The Arab plan is to export up to 150,000 tons of fresh products annually —especially tomatoes and blueberries— avoiding the black spots of land logistics, such as congestion at the Calais-Dover or Tangier-Algeciras border crossings, vandalism, and delays caused by bad road conditions that damage delicate merchandise.
To support this operation, DP World has made a massive investment in equipment, acquiring 1,250 state-of-the-art refrigerated containers (reefers), in addition to high cube and dry containers to meet general cargo demand. The management integrates under the digital platform Cargoes, providing total visibility of the supply chain. This deployment coincides with a sweet moment for Moroccan exports, which already exceed 6.5 million tons annually to Western Europe, with sustained growth of 20%. With this movement, Morocco consolidates its position as the ‘vegetable garden of Europe’, now supported by a smarter, more resilient, and sustainable maritime infrastructure.
