A Spanish-designed complex in Casablanca is now moving into full-scale operations, aiming to speed up throughput, improve cleanliness and turn out export-ready tuna for supermarket shelves across Europe and North America.
A new heavyweight in the global tuna trade
Gaictech, a Spanish engineering company, has finished what is being presented as Morocco’s biggest industrial tuna processing plant. The site was built for the Moroccan group Tunamax and is located in Casablanca’s port area.
Rather than stitching together a set of disconnected lines, the factory has been planned as one end-to-end system that covers the entire tuna value chain. It is set up to take in frozen or fresh fish and carry it right through to sealed cans and pouches.
The plant’s automation allows rapid processing, lower waste and full traceability, aligned with strict EU and US market rules.
Together, those features give Casablanca a more strategic position in a sector traditionally dominated by Asian centres such as Thailand and the Philippines, alongside long-established European processors in Spain, Portugal and Italy.
How Spanish technology underpins the Casablanca plant
Gaictech, which focuses on turnkey equipment for food manufacturing, led the design, systems integration and commissioning of the production lines.
Its equipment links nearly every stage in the workflow:
- Reception and grading of the tuna
- Controlled cooking to preserve texture and flavour
- Cleaning and trimming of loins
- Filling of cans, jars or pouches
- Sealing and sterilisation under precise conditions
- Final packaging and palletising for export
Automation is used extensively throughout the facility, spanning conveyor networks, intelligent weighing points and digital supervision of timing, temperature and hygiene.
Traceability software links each batch of tuna to data on origin, processing time, temperature and destination client, creating an auditable digital trail.
This level of monitoring has effectively become a baseline expectation for retailers in the European Union and North America, where both regulators and shoppers are paying closer attention to food safety, provenance and environmental impact.
Why the plant matters for Morocco’s economy
The development is viewed as more than the construction of another factory. Government bodies and industry stakeholders in Morocco see it as part of a wider move to keep more value from the country’s fish resources at home.
For a long time, significant volumes of Moroccan tuna have left the country with limited processing, while the higher-margin steps - cooking, canning and branding - were carried out abroad. In practice, fishermen and ports benefited, but factories and industrial service providers inside Morocco often captured less of the upside.
By localising cooking, cleaning, canning and packaging, the plant aims to retain a larger share of tuna’s added value in Morocco.
The plant is expected to generate hundreds of direct roles on the lines, particularly in processing, quality assurance and maintenance. Beyond those jobs, it also supports a broader network forming in Casablanca and nearby areas:
| Sector | Expected impact |
|---|---|
| Transport and logistics | More freight movements to ports, cold-chain services and container handling |
| Packaging | Higher demand for cans, lids, labels and cardboard |
| Industrial services | Work for engineers, electricians, automation technicians and cleaners |
| Local suppliers | Greater use of regional firms for civil works, maintenance and spare parts |
Morocco has already positioned itself as a production base for cars, aviation and textiles; increasingly, high-specification food processing is becoming another important pillar. Tuna is particularly appealing because demand for shelf-stable protein tends to remain resilient, even during periods of economic uncertainty.
Export ambitions: eyes on Europe and North America
Tunamax has designed the Casablanca complex around export agreements rather than mainly serving domestic demand. A sizeable portion of output is already allocated to supermarket groups and multinational brands.
For those buyers, compliance is not limited to hygiene paperwork. They typically require assured volumes, consistent quality, exact pack formats and strict delivery timetables - needs that the plant’s scale and automation are intended to support.
The factory aims to serve large, long-term contracts, positioning Casablanca as a reliable supply hub for branded tuna lines on foreign shelves.
Morocco’s closeness to major European ports can also shorten transit times compared with Asian rivals. That geographic advantage may lower shipping costs and reduce the carbon footprint of deliveries, which is becoming a more prominent factor in retailer sourcing decisions.
Competing with Asian and European giants
Tuna processing is intensely competitive worldwide. Asian operators often have the advantage of lower costs and decades of large-scale production. European facilities frequently compete on reputation, established brands and close integration with EU supermarket supply chains.
The Casablanca site is intended to blend elements of both approaches: North African cost advantages paired with technology, certification and process control that sits nearer to European expectations.
The Spanish role further supports credibility with EU customers, many of whom already purchase from Spanish tuna brands or have experience working with Spanish engineering suppliers.
Spanish engineering companies widen their global reach
For Gaictech, the Casablanca build is also a demonstration project. Its business model centres on turnkey delivery - not only providing machinery, but also planning the layout, linking the systems and managing start-up.
Demand for that approach has grown as food manufacturers increasingly prefer a single partner for complex upgrades rather than coordinating dozens of separate suppliers. In Casablanca, Gaictech took responsibility for:
- Designing production flows to avoid product cross-contamination
- Selecting and integrating cooking, cooling and filling equipment
- Automation systems and digital control panels
- Training of local staff on operation and maintenance
The contract reinforces Spain’s standing as a reference point for fish-processing technology. Spanish shipyards and engineering companies already supply vessels, cold-storage infrastructure and canning equipment to multiple countries that operate sizeable tuna fleets.
What this means for tuna on your plate
For shoppers in London, New York or Berlin, a new facility in Casablanca may seem distant. Even so, it could influence what appears on supermarket shelves within the next few years.
Retailers seeking alternative supply options - particularly after recent disruption to shipping routes and volatility in raw material prices - may view Morocco as a way to diversify beyond a small number of Asian plants. This can help keep prices steadier and reduce the risk of sudden shortages.
Greater emphasis on traceability will also be reflected in packaging. Tuna packed in Casablanca is likely to carry clearer information about catch area, the processing plant and, depending on brand policy, possibly the fishing method.
Stronger traceability and local processing help buyers check that tuna complies with fishing rules, food safety laws and brand commitments.
For brands that promote sustainability messaging, sourcing from a facility that shares detailed data and sits closer to destination markets can also become a useful marketing point.
Key concepts: traceability, added value and food safety
Three technical phrases are frequently used when discussing the Casablanca project: traceability, added value and food safety standards.
Traceability is the ability to follow a product from the fishing vessel through to the supermarket. In the tuna sector, this typically covers information such as:
- Where and when the fish was caught
- Which vessel and gear were used
- How the tuna was stored and transported
- Which plant processed and canned it
Added value describes the extra economic worth created when raw tuna is turned into a ready-to-eat product. Steps like cleaning, cooking, canning, branding and logistics add value on top of the initial catch. When those activities happen domestically, Morocco retains a larger share of that value within its own economy.
Food safety standards include tight limits on contaminants, proof of hygienic handling and correct heat treatment to ensure shelf stability. For canned tuna sold in Europe or the US, failing an inspection can lead to shipments being blocked and significant financial losses.
Risks and opportunities for the regional tuna industry
A facility on this scale creates clear opportunities as well as potential difficulties. On the upside, it can provide steadier demand for local fishing fleets, support industrial employment and attract investment into cold storage, ports and workforce training.
However, expansion also carries risks if it is not matched by careful stewardship of tuna stocks. Overfishing would threaten the very resource the plant relies on, making coordination with fisheries authorities and international organisations essential.
There is also the risk of buyer concentration. If contracts are controlled by a small number of large purchasers, they may push prices down. That pressure can compress margins for plant operators and create incentives to cut costs on maintenance or labour. Robust local regulation and transparent auditing can help prevent those pressures from eroding standards.
At the same time, the Casablanca complex could serve as a template for other African coastal countries looking to move further up the seafood value chain. If similar projects are rolled out with sustainability at their core, parts of the global tuna industry could shift closer to the waters where fish are caught, altering trade patterns over the next decade.
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