The major transformation of Morocco’s port map has entered its final countdown following the promulgation this August of Law 34.25, which formally transforms the former National Ports Agency (ANP) into the state-owned company Ports du Maroc SA. The measure grants the new corporate giant exclusive authority to set tariffs, fees and price caps for private concession holders. But beyond the administrative reshuffle in Casablanca, the real center of gravity of this move is shifting toward Western Sahara, placing the enclaves of El Aaiún and the new port of Dakhla (pictured in June 2026) at the heart of the kingdom’s commercial strategy. There, dockworkers do not earn the €8,800 net monthly salary paid at the Port of Las Palmas.
The reform breaks with the model in place since 2005, which sought to draw a clear line between public regulation and commercial operations. The state will now unify control under a corporate structure designed to bring greater investment agility to key infrastructure. Under this new tariff and operational framework, the ports of El Aaiún and the Dakhla Atlantique megaproject are no longer merely regional logistics points, but become top-tier corporate assets on the balance sheet of Ports du Maroc SA.
Fishing
In El Aaiún, the direct setting of prices and fees by the new board of directors is intended to boost phosphate exports and fishing activity while cutting bureaucratic delays for shipping and logistics concession holders. However, it is in Dakhla that the creation of Ports du Maroc SA takes on a greater geopolitical dimension. Conceived as the major Atlantic hub linking West Africa with Europe and the Americas, the Dakhla Atlantique port will benefit from a centralized tariff structure that will make it possible to attract major international private concessions through margins and price ceilings adapted to the global market.
During the bill’s passage, the Minister of Equipment and Water, Nizar Baraka, had to address parliamentary reservations, assuring lawmakers that the infrastructure would remain 100% publicly owned and guaranteeing service at loss-making docks. With the adoption of amendments focused on digital transformation and the creation of smart ports, the new Ports du Maroc SA is laying the groundwork for El Aaiún and Dakhla to operate under next-generation standards, accelerating the integration of the Saharan coast into international trade.
The article Morocco Converts ANP into a State-Owned Company: Key Implications for the Canary Islands from Dakhla Atlantique Port was first published on canarymaritime.com.
