Tunisia Aims to Develop Maritime Industry Sector
The Head of Government, Sarra Zaafrani Zanzeri, chaired a restricted ministerial council on Thursday, December 4, 2025, at the Government Palace in the Kasbah, dedicated to the development of the maritime industries sector.
Introduction
At the opening of the meeting, the Head of Government emphasized the strategic importance of this sector and its central role in supporting the national economy and creating jobs, in line with the vision of the President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed. She highlighted Tunisia's position in the maritime industries, particularly in the construction, repair, and maintenance of all types of ships and yachts, as well as the development of port logistics services.
Tunisia's Strategic Position
According to her, Tunisia has all the assets to succeed, including:
- A strategic geographical position at the heart of the Mediterranean
- A 1,300 km coastline, not including islands
- 92% of global trade is done by sea
- 98% of Tunisia's trade exchanges are done by sea
- 30% of global trade passes through Tunisia's coast
Tunisia's Maritime Past
The Head of Government also recalled Tunisia's rich maritime past, which played a determining commercial and military role since the time of Carthage (814 BC), thanks to its strategic position at the crossroads of Mediterranean maritime routes. She also highlighted Tunisia's achievements in maritime regulation, with the promulgation in 1976 of the Code of Administrative Organization of Maritime Navigation, two years before the adoption of the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea and six years before the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Development Strategy
Sarra Zaafrani Zanzeri indicated that the diagnosis of the sector and the prospects of the maritime industries, as well as the main challenges encountered, will be integrated into the national overall strategy in the maritime field currently being prepared. Concrete programs will be put in place to develop the sector and strengthen its presence on regional and international markets, particularly by consolidating Tunisia's position as one of the main African countries in the construction of military and commercial ships, fishing boats, and leisure boats, as well as their maintenance and repair.
Revision of Current Policy
The Head of Government also insisted on the need to revise the current policy for the development of maritime industries, as part of the elaboration of the national overall strategy for the maritime sector. The national strategy of the State in terms of industry and innovation by 2035 aims to create a "highly competitive and technologically advanced" industry capable of integrating into the global system. It is based on several axes and prioritizes promising sectors, such as shipbuilding and leisure boats, with the establishment of partnership charters to strengthen their competitiveness.
Minister's Presentation
During the council, the Minister of Transport, Rachid Amri, presented a report prepared in coordination with all concerned ministries on the development of the sector, focusing on the following main axes:
- Positioning Tunisia among the main African countries in maritime industries, particularly for the construction of military and commercial ships, yachts, and fishing and leisure boats, as well as their maintenance and repair
- Improving incentives and benefits to stimulate the growth of the sector and its expansion on international markets
- Revising the current policy for the development of maritime industries
- Developing the maritime training system and training human resources in accordance with the standards of the International Maritime Organization
- Strengthening national capacities in maritime engineering, maintenance, and continuous training of sailors and maritime engineers
- Linking training to scientific research and developing skills in maritime technologies, remote sensing, renewable marine energy, and coastal ecosystem protection
- Promoting the contribution of the maritime training system to the blue economy, maritime trade, and port industries
- Strengthening international cooperation and creating strategic partnerships to attract investments in maritime industries and logistics services
- Ensuring the safety and security of navigation, research, and rescue, coastal surveillance, risk management, and pollution control
Recommendations
The council recommended several measures to support the development of the sector and the national economy:
- Presenting the national overall strategy for the maritime field to the ministerial council at the beginning of 2026
- Launching a national program to develop maritime facilities and modernize strategic port basins
- Modernizing ports and connecting them to road and rail networks, and reforming national maritime sector companies
- Supporting private initiatives in land transport
- Modernizing the maritime legal and regulatory framework, including safety and environment, to simplify procedures
- Developing the maritime training system in accordance with international standards and linking training and scientific research
- Supporting national and foreign investment, strengthening competitiveness and industrial and logistical integration
- Creating international partnerships and cooperation projects to position Tunisia as a regional hub for maritime industries
Conclusion
In conclusion, Sarra Zaafrani Zanzeri emphasized that given the profound geopolitical and economic transformations worldwide, Tunisia must strategically reposition its maritime sector thanks to its central geographical position in the Mediterranean. She specified that the elaboration of the national overall strategy for the maritime field is ongoing in the short, medium, and long term, by strengthening international cooperation and strategic partnerships, diversifying international partnerships, and opening up to economic actors in order to attract investments, develop maritime industries and associated logistics services, and transform Tunisia into a regional maritime training platform. This aims to support the national economy, strengthen maritime sovereignty, and create broad opportunities for Tunisian youth, in line with President Kaïs Saïed's vision in the fields of commercial navigation, ports, and maritime industries.
