The Grande Auckland’s inaugural call in Agadir confirms support for Morocco’s sustainable mobility

On 25 October, the Grimaldi Group’s brand new vessel Grande Auckland made her inaugural call at the Port of Agadir (Morocco), as part of her maiden voyage on the Asia-Europe service. This milestone also marked the beginning of a large-scale operation involving the transport of 721 buses from cities in China – Lianyungang, Taicang and Shanghai – to Morocco.

The shipment comprises six port calls in total: two each in Agadir (128 buses), Casablanca (312 buses) and Tangier Med (281 buses). The vehicles are part of a Moroccan Ministry of Interior program to enhance public transport services across several regions of the country.

This made the Grande Auckland’s maiden call in Agadir even more significant. Indeed, the event was attended by Saaid Amzazi, Wali (Governor) of the Souss Massa Region and Governor of the Prefecture of Agadir Ida Outanane, Ameur Hamda, Secretary General at the Wilaya (Province) of the Souss Massa Region, Jamal Barkachi, Operations Director at the Local Development Company Grand Agadir pour la Mobilité et les Déplacements Urbains, Hassan Baich, Regional Director of the National Ports Agency for Agadir and Zouhair Sil, Director of port operator Marsa Maroc at the Port of Agadir. Also present were representatives of local authorities, as well as members of the national and local press.

Designed to operate in the future with ammonia as a zero-carbon fuel, the Grande Auckland is already capable of almost halving CO₂ emissions and is equipped for cold ironing, embodying the Grimaldi Group’s strong environmental engagement. Through this operation, the Group reaffirms its support for Morocco’s transition towards sustainable mobility and its commitment to a partnership founded on trust, technology and long-term vision.