If you want to get rich, build roads first. The port is the starting point and end point of the sea road. Convenient maritime transportation undoubtedly plays a role as a booster for economic development! Recently, the Ministry of Transport and Logistics of Morocco reported that the country has a total investment of 10 billion yuan. The dirham (approximately US$1.13 billion) Dakhla Atlantic New Port project has completed the technical feasibility study. It is planned to start bidding on January 28, 2021, and the construction period is expected to not exceed 6 years.

Project Background:

Dakhla, formerly known as the city of Sizneros, is located on a long narrow peninsula in the west of Western Sahara, on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, and is the capital of Dakhla, the Golden Valley region. Dakhla currently has a port, which is currently an important fishing port and trading port in the region, and one of the main ports in Western Sahara. The bay area is about 400 square kilometers. After the completion of the new port, Dakhla will become the dual port city of Morocco.

Dakhla New Port Project Introduction

The port is located in NTIREFT, 40 kilometers north of Dakhla. The specific location information is as follows:

The Dakhla new port project is part of the Moroccan government’s 2030 National Port Strategy and Southern Province Development Plan. It is also a key project to improve Dakhla’s infrastructure and promote the development of regional tourism. The development objectives of the project mainly include:

-Strengthen the land and sea transportation links in the Dakhla Atlantic area;

-Establish an industrial fishing zone;

-Develop new industrial and logistics areas near the new port;

-Strengthen the influence of the Moroccan government in the southern region of Western Sisa;

-Engaged in the development of surrounding infrastructure.

After the completion of the new port of Dakhla, it will become the gateway for Morocco to conduct trade with Africa and Latin America.

The Moroccan government regards the development of the Dakhla region as the "Southern Marshall Plan" and has carried out a supporting plan for the new port of Dakhla, including the development of a desalination plant and power supply system.

The Moroccan government has formulated a long-term development plan for the port. It plans to increase the annual cargo transportation volume of the port to 340 million tons by 2030 and develop 5 major centers, namely:

North Central Port: Nador City Port and Mediterranean West Port;

Northwest Central Port: Tangier City Port and New Mediterranean Port;

Kenitra-the central port of Casablanca: including the three ports of Kenitra, Casablanca and Mohammedia;

Abda-Doukkala Center: including Jorf and Safi ports for heavy industry;

Souss-Tensift Center: Including the port of Agadir, which is dominated by fisheries and containers.

The territorial dispute between Morocco and Western Sahara has not yet been fundamentally resolved. On November 13, 2020, the Moroccan military blocked the buffer zone near the border between Western Sahara and Mauritania, causing the Western Sahara People’s Liberation Front to counterattack and announced that it would abandon the ceasefire agreement that took effect in 1991. Since then, the conflict between the two sides has been further intensified.

Affected by the sphere of influence of traditional Western powers and the regional political security situation, investment and construction in the Western Sahara region poses a relatively high political risk. Editor/Sang Xiaomei