Marrakech – During the latter half of the 20th century, Morocco’s merchant navy experienced its golden age, with a fleet of commercial ships owned by both Moroccan public and private entities post-independence.
Inspired by this era, Abdelfattah Bouzoubaa, a former Long-Distance Captain of the merchant navy, came up with a brilliant idea: a virtual maritime museum.
This museum aims to preserve the rich history of Morocco’s thriving merchant navy days.
Bouzoubaa has worked with the Compagnie Marocaine de Navigation (COMANAV), a Moroccan shipping company, and served as an advisor to the International Maritime Organization (IMO).
In an interview with MAP, Bouzoubaa said that “the goal of the museum is to preserve the maritime memory of the country for future generations and potentially revitalize the Moroccan maritime industry.”
He also highlighted his passion for keeping this important part of Morocco’s history alive.
Driven by a desire to preserve documents and archives from this golden era, Bouzoubaa recently donated his collection to “Archives du Maroc.”
This collection laid the foundation for the creation of the virtual museum.
“This donation aims to enrich Morocco’s history. It becomes clearer when illuminated by the smaller stories told through the documents handed over to ‘Archives du Maroc’,” Bouzoubaa added.
Launched in 2022, the virtual maritime museum showcases a treasure trove of Moroccan maritime history.
The collection includes brochures from Moroccan shipowners, monographs, company emblems, correspondence, photographs, and technical descriptions of Moroccan ships, among other artifacts.
Most of these archives and documents were amassed by Commander Bouzoubaa throughout his illustrious career.
Today, they are freely accessible on the museum’s website, serving as a dynamic window into Morocco’s vibrant merchant navy era.
