Agadir Administrative Court Overturns Initial Judgement
The Administrative Court of Appeal in Agadir has definitively annulled a first-instance ruling that favored a maritime fishing company owned by a parliamentary advisor. This decision puts an end to a prolonged legal dispute concerning the issuance of a navigation permit for an imported fishing vessel. The court's ruling invalidated an earlier order by a summary judge, deeming it incompetent, and effectively returned the case of the imported fishing ship to its starting point, as highlighted by the daily newspaper, _Al Akhbar_, in its June 8 edition.
The original dispute arose from a March 31 ruling by the first-instance administrative court that mandated the local fisheries delegation in Agadir to issue a gauge certificate for the complainant's vessel. This certificate indicated a gross tonnage of 125 tons and a net tonnage of 21.51 tons, along with a 500 horsepower engine. The initial ruling also imposed a financial penalty of 5,000 dirhams for each day of delay following the notification of the judgment.
Compliance with National Safety Standards at the Heart of the Dispute
The recent appeal ruling halts the case after several months of tensions between the fisheries administration and the parliamentary advisor's company. Central to the disagreement are significant discrepancies regarding the gross and net weights of the imported vessel. The fisheries administration in Agadir has maintained a strict adherence to national safety and compliance standards, rejecting any exemptions in this matter.
Technical data associated with the case reveal that the actual specifications of the imported vessel do not align with those of the vessel it was intended to replace. While the owner pledged to make technical modifications to ensure compliance, the administration remained resolute in its stance that offshore fishing vessels cannot be classified as coastal fishing boats. Shortly after the vessel's importation, the company requested the Agadir fisheries delegation to register the ship and obtain its navigation permit. In response, the local delegation formed a special committee to verify the declared gross and net tonnages.
On August 19, 2025, this committee convened with the company representative present and concluded that the gross tonnage of the vessel was 188 tons and the net tonnage was 26.51 tons—figures that exceeded those provided by the owner, thereby invalidating the vessel's legal compliance.
Following this initial gauging report, the shipowner contested the findings. After several appeals, a new mixed committee was appointed to conduct a second gauging of the vessel, which took place on October 2 and 3, 2025. Again, the committee met with the company representative to review all documents and technical specifications. Ultimately, this second committee reached the same conclusions as the local committee from August 19, 2025, reaffirming the discrepancies in measurements against the required standards.
As reported by fr.le360.ma.
