Feasibility Study for the Southern Morocco Coastal VTS System (Tan-Tan – Dakhla)
Client
Directorate of Merchant Marine
Ministry of Transport and Logistics, Kingdom of Morocco
Partners
CID
Consulting, Engineering & Development
Assignment
Feasibility study for the design and implementation of a coastal Vessel Traffic Service (VTS) system covering Morocco’s southern Atlantic coastline from Tan-Tan to Dakhla.
Context and challenges
As part of strengthening maritime safety and national sovereignty along Morocco’s southern Atlantic coastline, the Ministry of Transport and Logistics initiated a strategic feasibility study for the deployment of a coastal VTS system covering more than 800 km, from Tan-Tan to Dakhla.
Beyond its technical dimension, the project fully aligns with national ambitions for sustainable development and maritime space security, addressing increased maritime traffic, growing port, fisheries, and tourism activities, as well as Morocco’s international obligations regarding navigational safety and marine environmental protection.
The future VTS represents a key surveillance and risk-management tool, providing the State with enhanced real-time monitoring of maritime traffic, rapid incident response capabilities, and effective coordination between maritime stakeholders.
Study objectives
The feasibility study aimed to :
- assess navigational risks in the southern maritime zone;
- evaluate environmental constraints and ecological sensitivities;
- define an internationally compliant VTS concept;
- propose an optimized, scalable, and secure technical architecture;
- estimate the required investments;
- produce comprehensive technical specifications to support tendering.
Scope of work
The CID and Shared System carried out the assignment through a structured methodology covering :
- maritime navigational risk assessment;
- environmental studies;
- regulatory and legislative analysis;
- site selection and civil works requirements;
- technical coverage studies (radar, AIS, VHF, microwave links, IT networks, CCTV);
- financial estimation (CAPEX / OPEX);
- drafting of technical and functional specifications.
Shared System’s added value
As part of this strategic project, Shared System brought extensive expertise in VTS systems engineering and maritime information systems, covering the entire design lifecycle. The team played a key role in conducting RADAR, AIS, and maritime radiocommunication coverage studies, enabling the definition of an optimized technical architecture aligned with the geographic, operational, and environmental constraints of Morocco’s southern Atlantic coastline.
Shared System also contributed to operational and regulatory analysis, functional and technical architecture design, and the drafting of detailed technical specifications in compliance with applicable international standards (IMO, IALA).