CASABLANCA, October 05, 2026 (DAILYNWZ) — Morocco has cancelled a tender to select a private operator for its new Casablanca shipyard, abandoning a 30-year concession model in a shift toward greater national control of a project valued at about $260 million.
The decision by the state-run National Ports Agency (ANP) follows an evaluation of bids by its board, which adopted what Moroccan business publication Médias24 described as “new strategic orientations.”
The tender had attracted major international maritime and shipbuilding groups seeking to develop, equip, operate and maintain the facility. Three finalists remained when the process was cancelled.
They included a consortium bringing together Moroccan construction company Somagec, South Korea’s HD Hyundai Heavy Industries and Turkey’s Kuzey Star Shipyard; a group led by Morocco’s Radi Holding with Spain’s Marina Meridional and China’s Ningbo Xinle Shipbuilding Group; and Italy’s San Giorgio del Porto.
The ANP launched the international tender on April 7, 2025, seeking an experienced private operator to run the shipyard for 30 years. Morocco had hoped to draw on foreign expertise to turn the facility into a major regional center for ship repair and shipbuilding, echoing the international partnerships that helped develop its automotive industry.
Sources familiar with the decision told Médias24 that the cancellation was not linked to the quality of the bids or the companies involved.
“This cancellation has nothing to do with the candidates or their offers,” the sources said, citing “certain considerations, notably related to national sovereignty.”
The sources said the ANP board had decided on “another strategic orientation” and that work had already begun to implement it.
The new approach is intended to strengthen Morocco’s domestic maritime-industrial base and support its longer-term ambition to develop a competitive national merchant fleet. It also reflects a broader push to build local industrial capabilities in strategically important sectors rather than rely heavily on foreign operators.
The Casablanca facility, whose overall investment is estimated at about 2.6 billion dirhams, or roughly $260 million, is not yet operational.
Designed to handle commercial, military and fishing vessels, the shipyard includes a large dry dock and ship-lifting infrastructure. Once operational, it is expected to allow major vessel repairs to be carried out in Morocco instead of sending ships to facilities abroad.
The cancellation leaves the project’s future operating structure unresolved. But the strategic direction is clearer: Morocco intends for the shipyard to play a role beyond commercial maritime services, making it part of a broader effort to develop national industrial and maritime capabilities.