RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.26/Rev.1
17October 1995
ORGANIZATION(95-3129)
Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services Original: French
COMMUNICATION FROM MOROCCO
Response toQuestionnaire onMaritime Transport Services
Revision
Theattached communication iscirculated attherequest ofMorocco toMembers ofthe
Negotiating Group onMaritime Transport Services.
_______________S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.26/Rev.1
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Vessels
1. Theexpression "break-bulk" cargo wasusedtodesignate "refrigerated" carriers, andtherefore
theinitial table below onfleetstructure hasbeenretained withtheword "break-bulk" replaced by
"refrigerated" :
STRUCTURE OFNATIONALLY-OWNED OROPERATED FLEET
Types ofvessels Number ofvessels Deadweight tonnage
National flag Foreign flag National flag Foreign flag
Oiltankers 4 - 22,738 -
Liquified gascarriers - - - -
Chemical tankers 7 - 113,670 -
Combination carriers - - - -
Ore/bulk carriers - - - -
General cargo 4 - 16,346 -
Container ships 9 - 29,818 -
Specialized cargo - - - -
Ro-Ro 8 - 41,029 -
Ferries and
passenger5 - 13,800 -
Refrigerated carriers 9 - 35,934 -
Other - - - -
TOTAL 46 - 273,344 -
Trade
2. 98percentofMoroccan international trade iscarried bysea,amounting in1993 to
36million tonsandavalue ofDH96billion (US$10,909,091,000).
3. In1993imports inMoroccan international tradecarried byseaamounted to19,500,000 tons,
corresponding toavalue ofaround DH61.9billion (US$7,034,090,900).
In1993exports inMoroccan international trade carried byseaamounted to16,500,000 tons,
corresponding toavalue ofaround DH34.36 billion (US$3,904,545,500).
4. In1993, some 5,800,000 tonsoftotalMoroccan international tradecarried byseawascarried
byvessels sailing under theMoroccan flag, corresponding toavalue ofDH2.46 billion
(US$279,000,000).
5. Insignificant.
N.B. US$1 =DH8.8(1995 exchange rate).S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.26/Rev.1
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Organization ofcargo
6. Liner shipping carries 1,630,000 tonsofthetotalofMoroccan international trade carried by
sea,corresponding toavalue ofaround 30percentofthetrade carried.
7. Thevolume ofliner shipping ininternational trade which iscarried byconferences is
250,000 tons.
8. Seeunder Question 7.
9. None.
10. Theestimated share oflinercargo which iscontainerized isaround 2million tons.
11. Theestimated share oflinercargo carried bymeans ofmultimodal transport arrangements
isaround 1million tonsbytruck and2million bycontainer.
Ports andauxiliary services
12. International trade cargoes innational porttraffic represents around 36million tons,
corresponding to98percentoftotaltraffic.
Theestimated share ofthistraffic which iscontainerized isaround 2million tons.
13. Thepresence offoreign suppliers intheprovision ofauxiliary services isasfollows:
- Container station anddepot services: Yes
- Maritime agency services: Yes
- Maritime freight forwarding services: Yes
- Maritime cargo handling services: No
- Storage andwarehousing services: Yes, butonlyoutofport, astheyare
provided bythePortDevelopment and
Operation Office (ODEP) inport.
- Customs clearance services: Yes
- Maintenance andrepair ofvessels: No,although there arenoconstraints.
14. Yes,butonlyforinland transport bytruck.
II. Regulatory structure
1. Specific measures areapplicable tomaritime transport under theDahir of1962, although it
isnotapplied duetotheconstraints ofMoroccan external trade.
2. Bulkshipping isnotregulated.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.26/Rev.1
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3. Theregistration ofcompanies which provide regular linershipping toMoroccan portsiscarried
outinaccordance withtheprovisions oftheCode ofConduct forLiner Conferences (Circular No.216/2
of4August 1979).
Registration remains subject ontheonehand, tothepresence ofvessels belonging totheforeign
company inthetraffic linesinquestion, andontheother handtoconducting regular services onthe
range orlinerconcerned.
Anyextension oflinerorchange inservice ortypeofvessel must beauthorized beforehand
bytheMerchant Navy Authorities.
Theprovisions ofagreements reached under theCode ofConduct forLiner Conferences, which
hasbeenratified byMorocco, areapplied.
4. Morocco hasacceded totheHamburg Rules andtotheConvention onInternational Multimodal
Transport ofGoods. Several seminars andconferences havebeenorganized topromote thisformof
transport.
There arenoexisting restrictions onmultimodal transport:
Thecomputerization ofthecustoms services andtheODEP, aswellasthedevelopment of
transport bytruck, favour theexpansion ofthisform oftransport.
5. Management andoperation ofallports intheKingdom isentrusted toasingle body: thePort
Development andOperation Office (ODEP) under theauthority oftheMinistry ofPublic Works and
Vocational andManagement Training.
However, Articles 4and5ofLawNo.6-84which setupthe"ODEP" stipulate thatthe
legislation orregulations inforce allow theStatetoentrust public orprivate sector bodies, withsome
ofthefollowing services:
- pilotage, tugassistance, in-shore pilotage andprovisioning ofvessels;
- lighterage, handling andwarehousing ofgoods;
- unloading, loading andtransport ofliquid products inbulk, aswellasthehandling
andstorage ofsolid products inbulk.
6. Thenational definition of"international maritime transport" isthesame asthatcontained in
theConvention onInternational Multimodal Transport ofGoods.
7. A"national shipping enterprise" isanycompany owning atleastonevessel sailing under the
Moroccan flag.
Market access
8. (a),(b),(c)and(d). Nolimitations.
9. (a) Commercial presence andnorestriction.
(b) Maintenance isentrusted totheODEP.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.26/Rev.1
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10. No,there arenomeasures limiting theparticipation offoreign capital.
11. Therequisite conditions forsailing under thenational flagareasfollows:
- under Article 12oftheDahir of1919, theMaritime Code clearly states thatthe
nationality ofavessel islegalized byissuing acertificate ofregistry: thecertificate
ofregistry isthedocument which establishes theright ofavessel tosailunder the
Moroccan flagandwhich guarantees ittheadvantages ofprotection inmaritime
navigation.
Therequisite conditions forobtaining Moroccanization orregistration (certificate ofregistry)
areasfollows:
- thehome portmust belocated inMorocco;
- innormal circumstances thevessel 'smainnavigation mustfocus directly onMoroccan
ports;
- thevessel must beofMoroccan owned.
Thetextofthe1919 Maritime Code which hasnowfallen intoabeyance stipulates thefact
thatthevessel must beatleast75percentowned byMoroccan nationals.
However, thedraftMaritime Code stipulates thatavessel mustbeatleast50percentowned
byMoroccan nationals, inaccordance withthetextonmaritime investments of5October 1984 and
thatonMoroccanization.
TheDahir of1919provides thatthecrews ofvessels allowed tosailunder theMoroccan flag
mustbemade upofsailors ofMoroccan nationality intheproportion set,forthedifferent forms of
shipping byMinisterial Decree.
Thisproportion, amended several times since 1919, iscurrently setat:
50percentofthecrew, including thecaptain andofficers forcommercial vessels.
National treatment
12. (a) No,there arenodiscriminatory measures.
(b) Seepoint (a).
Access toanduseofportfacilities
13. Alltheservices referred toareavailable tousers.
14. "Pilotage" istheonlyservice ofmandatory useamong those referred tounder Question 13.
15. Alloftheservices enumerated under Question 13areavailable onanon-discriminatory basis.
16. No,there arenodiscriminatory measures restricting access toseaports foreither national or
foreign suppliers.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.26/Rev.1
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17. No,there arenodiscriminatory measures inthisrespect.
18. No,there arenomeasures ofthistype.
19. No,seeunder Question 18.
Most-favoured-nation treatment
20. There isnosystematic sharing ofcargoes, although conference agreements havebeenconcluded
forlinershipping ofvarious products (forproducts ofthesame type, except when cargoes areover
1,500 tons), which arenotbased ontheorigin oftheproducts butrelate onlytotheports inwhich
theyareloaded orunloaded.
21. Shipping lines control themselves orthrough aprivate company theproper functioning of
conference agreements andkeeprecords toidentify anycases inwhich quotas areexceeded.
22. Sharing iscarried outinthecontext ofagreements between shipowners without intervention
bygovernment authorities. Quotas arenormally established onthebasis ofpastperformance.
23. No,there arenomeasures ofthistype.
24. No,there arenomeasures ofthistype.
25. No,there arenocounter-measures.
26. There arenospecific measures, although theAdministration canresort tothestrictapplication
oftheLawof1962, which would permit theMoroccan shipping linetocarry allgoods imported or
exported bytheState orbypublic, semi-public orsubsidized enterprises.
Thisonlyapplies tomaritime transport.
Government procurement
27. No,there arenosuchmeasures.
28. No,there arenosuchmeasures.
Competition law
29. (a),(b),(c)and(d). There arenomeasures orlegislation oncompetition.
Shipping conferences
30. Partoneofthequestion: No.
Parttwoofthequestion: Yes.
TheAdministration isnotresponsible fortheconference agreement.
31. Conference agreements havetobenotified totheDirectorate oftheMerchant Navy (DMM),
although there arenoregulations onthecriteria tobeapplied inassessing aconference agreement.S/NGMTS/W/2/Add.26/Rev.1
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32. There arenoregulations onthismatter.
33. Agreement isstrictly commercial andunrelated tothelaw.
34. There arenoregulations, apart from theCode ofConduct.
Shipper/carrier relations
35. Thearrangements between shippers andcarriers areofacommercial nature.
36. There arenorequirements andthegovernment plays noroleinthisrespect.