Port of Casablanca
Encyclopedia
The Port of Casablanca refers to the collective facilities and terminals
that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Casablanca
's harbours and which handle Casablanca's shipping
. The port is located at 33°36′N 7°37′W near Hassan II Mosque
.
The port of Casablanca is considered as Morocco
's and as one of the largest artificial ports in the world, although the port of Tangiers-Med to the North of Morocco is a cargo port located about 40 km from Tangiers, and is the largest port on the Mediterranean and in Africa by capacity and went into service in July 2007.[1] Its initial capacity was 3.5 million shipment containers.[2. It is also the largest port of the Maghreb
and North Africa
.
Casablanca's port treats a traffic of more than 21,3 million tons per annum, that is to say 38% of the national traffic, and carries out a sales turnover of more than 894 Million Moroccan Dirham
s. With an extent of 605 hectares and extending to more than 8 kilometers in length. It can accommodate and treat more than 35 ship
s at the same time.
The port is managed by ODEP (Office D'Exploitation des Ports), a publicly owned establishment which has the principal role of ensuring the management of passengers, goods and ships forwarding by the Moroccan ports.
Before being named "Casa Branca" (White house in Portuguese language
) by the Portuguese
, Casablanca used to be known as Anfa
. The Portuguese used the ruins of Anfa to build a military fortress in 1515. In the 19th century, the area's population began to grow as Casablanca became a major supplier of wool
to the booming textile industry
in Britain
and shipping traffic increased (the British, in return, began importing gunpowder tea
), a key ingredient in Morocco's national drink, mint tea. By the 1860s, there were around 4,000 residents, and the population grew to around 9,000 by the late 1880s . Casablanca remained a modestly sized port, with a population reaching around 12,000 within a few years of the French conquest
and arrival of French colonialists
in the town, at first administrators within a sovereign sultanate, in 1906.
The Moroccan administration of the time entrusted to the "Compagnie Marocaine" the construction of a small port whose water surface to be sheltered does not exceed 10 hectares. The work started in 1906, consisted of the construction of two small piers out of grip of share and others of the wet dock. The port of Casablanca began to be developed in 1906.
After completion in 1938, the configuration of the port had taken form and included a water level of a surface of 125 hectares, moles, quay levels and quays for the accosting of the trading ships.
The port has been knowing important works of extension including the prolongation of the two facilities for phosphate
s shipping and the completion of citrus
fruits facility.
Dock (maritime)
A dock is a human-made structure or group of structures involved in the handling of boats or ships, usually on or close to a shore.However, the exact meaning varies among different variants of the English language...
that conduct maritime trade handling functions in Casablanca
Casablanca
Casablanca is a city in western Morocco, located on the Atlantic Ocean. It is the capital of the Grand Casablanca region.Casablanca is Morocco's largest city as well as its chief port. It is also the biggest city in the Maghreb. The 2004 census recorded a population of 2,949,805 in the prefecture...
's harbours and which handle Casablanca's shipping
Shipping
Shipping has multiple meanings. It can be a physical process of transporting commodities and merchandise goods and cargo, by land, air, and sea. It also can describe the movement of objects by ship.Land or "ground" shipping can be by train or by truck...
. The port is located at 33°36′N 7°37′W near Hassan II Mosque
Hassan II Mosque
The Hassan II Mosque is a religious building in Casablanca, Morocco. It is the largest mosque in the country and the 7th largest mosque in the world. Its minaret is the world's tallest at .It stands on a promontory looking out to the Atlantic...
.
The port of Casablanca is considered as Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
's and as one of the largest artificial ports in the world, although the port of Tangiers-Med to the North of Morocco is a cargo port located about 40 km from Tangiers, and is the largest port on the Mediterranean and in Africa by capacity and went into service in July 2007.[1] Its initial capacity was 3.5 million shipment containers.[2. It is also the largest port of the Maghreb
Maghreb
The Maghreb is the region of Northwest Africa, west of Egypt. It includes five countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, and Mauritania and the disputed territory of Western Sahara...
and North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
.
Casablanca's port treats a traffic of more than 21,3 million tons per annum, that is to say 38% of the national traffic, and carries out a sales turnover of more than 894 Million Moroccan Dirham
Moroccan dirham
The dirham is the currency of Morocco. The plural form is pronounced darahim, although in French and English "dirhams" is commonly used. Its ISO 4217 code is "MAD". It is subdivided into 100 santimat . The dirham is issued by the Bank Al-Maghrib, the central bank of Morocco...
s. With an extent of 605 hectares and extending to more than 8 kilometers in length. It can accommodate and treat more than 35 ship
Ship
Since the end of the age of sail a ship has been any large buoyant marine vessel. Ships are generally distinguished from boats based on size and cargo or passenger capacity. Ships are used on lakes, seas, and rivers for a variety of activities, such as the transport of people or goods, fishing,...
s at the same time.
The port is managed by ODEP (Office D'Exploitation des Ports), a publicly owned establishment which has the principal role of ensuring the management of passengers, goods and ships forwarding by the Moroccan ports.
History
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
) by the Portuguese
Portuguese people
The Portuguese are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion....
, Casablanca used to be known as Anfa
Anfa
Anfa is the area which is today Casablanca, Morocco. It was originally settled by Berbers in the 7th century. The area, which they named Anfa, became a small, independent kingdom, which rejected the muslim rule that surrounded it until it was conquered by the Almoravids in 1068.From the 14th...
. The Portuguese used the ruins of Anfa to build a military fortress in 1515. In the 19th century, the area's population began to grow as Casablanca became a major supplier of wool
Wool
Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and certain other animals, including cashmere from goats, mohair from goats, qiviut from muskoxen, vicuña, alpaca, camel from animals in the camel family, and angora from rabbits....
to the booming textile industry
Textile industry
The textile industry is primarily concerned with the production of yarn, and cloth and the subsequent design or manufacture of clothing and their distribution. The raw material may be natural, or synthetic using products of the chemical industry....
in Britain
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and shipping traffic increased (the British, in return, began importing gunpowder tea
Gunpowder tea
Gunpowder tea is a form of green Chinese tea produced in Zhejiang Province of China in which each leaf has been rolled into a small round pellet. It is believed to take its English name from the fact that the tea resembles blackpowder grains...
), a key ingredient in Morocco's national drink, mint tea. By the 1860s, there were around 4,000 residents, and the population grew to around 9,000 by the late 1880s . Casablanca remained a modestly sized port, with a population reaching around 12,000 within a few years of the French conquest
French Morocco
French Protectorate of Morocco was a French protectorate in Morocco, established by the Treaty of Fez. French Morocco did not include the north of the country, which was a Spanish protectorate...
and arrival of French colonialists
French colonial empires
The French colonial empire was the set of territories outside Europe that were under French rule primarily from the 17th century to the late 1960s. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the colonial empire of France was the second-largest in the world behind the British Empire. The French colonial empire...
in the town, at first administrators within a sovereign sultanate, in 1906.
The Moroccan administration of the time entrusted to the "Compagnie Marocaine" the construction of a small port whose water surface to be sheltered does not exceed 10 hectares. The work started in 1906, consisted of the construction of two small piers out of grip of share and others of the wet dock. The port of Casablanca began to be developed in 1906.
After completion in 1938, the configuration of the port had taken form and included a water level of a surface of 125 hectares, moles, quay levels and quays for the accosting of the trading ships.
The port has been knowing important works of extension including the prolongation of the two facilities for phosphate
Phosphate
A phosphate, an inorganic chemical, is a salt of phosphoric acid. In organic chemistry, a phosphate, or organophosphate, is an ester of phosphoric acid. Organic phosphates are important in biochemistry and biogeochemistry or ecology. Inorganic phosphates are mined to obtain phosphorus for use in...
s shipping and the completion of citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
fruits facility.