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Casablanca – Shipping disruptions linked to the Iran war are reshaping trade routes, and Morocco is finding itself in a stronger position as a result.
According to Reuters, Russia’s Nornickel said the conflict has stretched delivery times for its base metals exports by about three weeks and pushed freight costs higher. The company, one of the world’s largest producers of palladium and a major supplier of nickel and copper, said rising metal prices are helping offset those added costs.
The disruptions follow US and Israeli strikes on Iran since late February, which have hit key maritime routes. Shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have been partly paralyzed, while risks around the Suez Canal have forced companies to rethink logistics.
For Nornickel, that means longer routes. Cargo that once passed through Suez is now being sent around Africa. “Now they go only around Africa,” said Anton Berlin, the company’s head of sales. He called the situation inconvenient but not critical.
Morocco finds an opening
The company ships metals by sea from Murmansk to hubs such as Tangier and Rotterdam, then sends them onward to global customers. After Western sanctions on Russia, Nornickel had already been reducing its reliance on Rotterdam in favor of Tangier. The current crisis is reinforcing that move.
With vessels rerouted around Africa, ports on the Atlantic edge are gaining importance. Tangier, already a major transshipment hub, is now better positioned to capture more traffic. It sits along the new, longer routes ships are being forced to take.
Nornickel’s main shareholder, Vladimir Potanin, said last year the company was considering investments in port infrastructure in Morocco, as well as in the Middle East and Turkey, to reduce reliance on European ports.
Read also: Iranian Patrol Boats Reportedly Fire on Oil Tanker in Strait of Hormuz
Despite the disruptions, demand for base metals has remained broadly stable, Berlin said. Around 50% of Nornickel’s sales now go to China, about 15% to Russia, and roughly 5% to the US. The remaining volumes are shipped to Europe, North Africa, the Middle East, and other Asian markets.
Western sanctions have not directly targeted the company, but it has faced voluntary restrictions from partners along with payment and logistics hurdles. In response, it has been shifting supply chains toward Asia and, increasingly, toward alternative hubs like Morocco.
Major shipping companies are increasingly rerouting vessels toward Tanger Med, moving away from traditional routes through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea amid persistent tensions in the Middle East. Carriers like Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and CMA CGM are now sailing around Africa, positioning the Moroccan hub as a safer and more reliable alternative to more exposed ports.
For Morocco, the timing is favorable, with a crisis far from its shores steadily nudging global trade flows closer to it.
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