Port of Casablanca implements nighttime gate access to ease congestion

Authorities in Casablanca have implemented nighttime operations at Gate 4 of the Port of Casablanca to alleviate severe land-based logistics congestion. Since September 18, the gate has been open from 21:00 to 07:00 following an order from the Casablanca-Anfa prefecture. This measure aims to spread out heavy vehicle traffic, reduce daytime peaks, and minimize the friction between trucks and urban traffic.

While maritime congestion has improved—with the number of ships waiting in port dropping from approximately sixty to between ten and fifteen—the bottleneck has shifted to land logistics. Truckers have reported waiting between eight and twelve hours inside the port to collect goods.

Industry experts note that these scheduling changes address the symptoms rather than the structural causes of the crisis. The port continues to handle growing commercial traffic on infrastructure that has not expanded at the same rate. The congestion carries economic risks, including increased demurrage costs and higher retail prices due to the immobilization of goods.