Tangier – The 11th ‘SIMULEX-2024’ exercise on fighting marine pollution is being held from September 24 to 26 off the coast of the Port of Tanger-Med, on the initiative of the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development.

Held in line with HM King Mohammed VI’s High Instructions and as part of preparations to combat accidental marine pollution, the operations scheduled as part of this simulation exercise of the National Emergency Plan will involve the delivery of assistance to a ship in difficulty, as well as pollution response, both at sea and on land, at the ‘Dalia’ beach and the Port of Tanger-Med. The exercise will be coordinated and run by a National Command Post, located at the headquarters of the Ministry of Energy Transition and Sustainable Development (Sustainable Development Department), as National Coordinator and under the supervision of the Ministry’s Secretary General, and by a Local Command Post located at the port of Tanger Med and placed under the authority of the Governor of t
he province of Fahs-Anjra, as Local Coordinator. The exercise is held in collaboration with various ministerial departments, the Royal Armed Forces, public institutions, local authorities in the province of Fahs-Anjra and the Tanger Med Port Authority. In a statement to the press, Hassan Bahhar, Regional Director for the Environment in Tangier-Tetouan-Al Hoceima, emphasized that the scenario for this exercise is a simulation of the fight against pollution caused by an accidental spill of 3,000 tonnes of fuel oil from an oil tanker bound for the Port of Tangier Med, threatening the port and Dalia beach. The aim of this exercise, he added, is to assess the implementation of the National Emergency Plan from a technical, logistical and operational point of view, as well as to strengthen cooperation and coordination between the various players involved in air, sea and land-based response operations, adding that it is ultimately intended to reinforce the Kingdom’s capabilities in the fight against accidental marine
pollution. For her part, the Ministry’s Director of the Circular Economy and Pollution Control, Hafsa Lakhlifi, stressed that maritime transport is of crucial importance for Morocco, which has almost 3,500 km of coastline, with a high volume of ships passing close by, noting that the development of infrastructures, such as the Port of Dakhla, will increase this traffic, thus increasing the risks of accidental pollution. She noted that in such a context, simulation exercises are set up to enable participants to train, evaluate operations and strengthen coordination, while developing preventive measures against these dangers.

Source: Agence Marocaine De Presse