Calling at Casablanca and Agadir ports, the new service continues to Rotterdam, ensuring smooth and efficient cargo flows into European retail markets.
by Blue Africa News
Morocco’s fresh produce exporters now have access to a shorter, faster, and more sustainable shipping route from Agadir and Casablanca to the United Kingdom (UK) and the Netherlands.
In early August, Samskip, one of Europe’s largest transport and logistics companies, launched the Moroccan Reefer Service (MRS), a new shortsea container route connecting Agadir and Casablanca directly with the UK and the Netherlands.
“This new connection marks a major milestone, not just for Samskip, but for the entire supply chain between Morocco and Northern Europe,” Ólafur Orri Ólafsson, Chief Business Officer at Samskip, was reported as saying in a media release.
Ólafsson said the company settled on the route, after “years” of listening to various stakeholders, promising faster, greener and reliable services.
“We’ve listened to growers, importers, and retailers, and will deliver a service that’s faster, greener, and more reliable. It’s a powerful example of what we can achieve when we combine local expertise with the strength of Europe’s largest multimodal network.”
According to Olafsson, the new service will ensure smooth and efficient cargo flows into the heart of European retail markets.
Benefits include a dedicated shortsea service designed for Moroccan perishables, a weekly direct sailing to the South UK and the Netherlands, and up to 80% carbon dioxide reduction compared to full road transport.
Upon arrival in Rotterdam, Moroccan exports will benefit from transshipment to Sweden, Norway, Finland, Poland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Ireland, with an estimation of goods from Agadir to Ireland arriving in just six days.
To support the initiative, Samskip signed a long-term partnership with the Moroccan Fruit Board, a private consortium of Moroccan exporters committed to delivering comprehensive and cost-effective supply chain solutions.
Dates, citrus, berries, oranges, bananas and avocados are among fruits grown for export in Agadir and Casablanca in Morocco.
66 percent of Morocco’s land area is devoted to agriculture, with more than 7 percent devoted to fruit production, according to a 2019 estimate by the Food and Agriculture Organization.
Between 2016 and 2021, Morocco’s fruit exports more than doubled from US$729 million to more than US$1.5 billion, accounting for more than a third of the country’s total agricultural exports in 2021.
Oliver Ochieng, Blue Africa News