Casablanca to become a cruise departure port from 13 December
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on Le Matin
Casablanca will move from being a port of call to a departure port for international cruises, with the first Explora Journeys sailings on 13 December 2026. Ponant and Swan Hellenic will follow in 2027, and Royal Caribbean plans to include Casablanca and Tangier in its itineraries, according to Le Matin.
Casablanca becomes a departure port for international cruises from 13 December 2026, with the first Explora Journeys sailings. Further departures are scheduled in 2027 by companies such as Ponant and Swan Hellenic. Until now, the city has mainly served as a port of call, with departures made from European, Caribbean or Asian ports.
Royal Caribbean plans to include Casablanca and Tangier in its regular itineraries between May and October 2027, on cruises of 7 to 10 nights departing from Barcelona and Lisbon. MSC Cruises and Celebrity Cruises also call at Casablanca.
In a statement published on 10 November, ProCroisiere.ma, a specialist in cruises in Morocco, said that one in two prospective customers who contact it asks whether they can start a cruise from Morocco. The Casablanca cruise terminal, inaugurated on 18 September 2025 by King Mohammed VI at a cost of 720 million dirhams, has received 53 ships and nearly 94,000 passengers in four months, according to the National Ports Agency cited in the statement.
For Jihan Hazam Berrada, founder and chief executive of ProCroisiere.ma, it is direct recognition of the investment made in the terminal. Passengers who embark or disembark can stay in the city, to the benefit of hotels, restaurants and carriers.
