Sea freight: Morocco pays $1,000 more per container
Global shipping giants are charging Moroccan importers up to $1,000 more per container than European buyers, according to October rate sheets from MSC and CMA CGM.
Moroccan importers are paying up to $1,000 (about 9,800 dirhams) more per container shipped from Asia than their European counterparts, according to recent rate sheets from major global shipping lines. The gap is still smaller than the one facing Algeria, where it reaches $1,400 per container.
Gap widens to $1,400 against northern Europe
According to an MSC rate notice dated September 28, covering October 19-31, shipping a 20-foot container from the Far East to the Port of Casablanca costs $4,550, compared with just $3,750 to western Mediterranean ports, a gap of roughly $800. The gap widens to $1,400 against northern Europe, where the rate for a 20-foot container is only $3,150.
| Carrier and route | 20ft container | 40ft container |
|---|---|---|
| MSC: Far East - Casablanca | 4,550 | 5,500 |
| MSC: Far East - Western Mediterranean | 3,750 | 4,500 |
| MSC: Far East - Northern Europe | 3,150 | 4,500 |
| CMA CGM: Asia - North Africa | 5,300 | 7,100 |
| CMA CGM: Asia - Western Mediterranean | 3,900 | 4,900 |
| Algeria (comparison) | 5,550 | 6,900 |
| Tunisia (comparison) | 5,550 | 6,500 |
| Libya (comparison) | 5,500 | 6,500 |
$507 in extra surcharges per Moroccan container
MSC is applying several surcharges on October shipments to Morocco: $253 for fuel, $128 for carbon, $55 for piracy risk, $36 for the Suez Canal crossing, $20 for emissions reduction, and $15 for monitoring zones. Combined, these surcharges total $507 (about 4,968 dirhams) per 20-foot container, before port handling costs and other fees.
Maersk: a Morocco-specific fee for correcting shipping documents
Maersk, for its part, has applied a 528-dirham fee since October 15 for any correction to a Morocco-bound bill of lading, charged after five days from loading, compared with just two days in Tunisia. In Libya and Egypt, the fee is charged at the time of shipment and calculated per bill of lading rather than per container, meaning Moroccan traders need to check their documents carefully to avoid extra costs.
CMA CGM: a partial exemption from the seasonal surcharge for Morocco
For the period from November 1-14, CMA CGM is charging $5,300 for a 20-foot container and $7,100 for a 40-foot container from Asia to North Africa, versus $3,900 and $4,900 respectively to the western Mediterranean, with no separate rate given for the ports of Casablanca or Tanger Med. Morocco is exempt from the carrier's steep peak-season surcharge of €150 per standard container, which applies from November 7 on some northern Europe-to-North Africa routes, though the exemption does not cover fuel, handling, or other port fees.
What does this mean for Moroccan consumers?
The report includes no official comment from the Moroccan government or from the shipping lines themselves, but notes that higher shipping costs could feed through into the cost of imported goods and companies' profit margins, eventually reaching final prices in the domestic market. Despite the gap with Europe, shipping costs to Morocco remain lower than those charged to Algeria, Tunisia, and Libya on the same routes.