Morocco’s sulacid imports hit three-year highs in 2024

Market: Fertilizers
04/03/25

Morocco's sulphuric acid imports reached 2.01mn t in 2024, at a three-year high, as two new sulphur burners that came on line at OCP's Jorf Lasfar hub in 2024 supported sulphuric acid intake, customs data showed.

The rise in sulphuric acid imports also reflects firm demand for processed phosphate fertilizers from key end-users, which has resulted in strong demand for raw materials such as sulphuric acid.

Nearly 50pc of the acid which arrived in Morocco was supplied by China and countries in the Mediterranean/Black Sea region, with the latter shipping record sulphuric acid volumes to Morocco.

China shipped 424,000t of acid in 2024, largely unchanged on 2023, but nearly half the volume delivered when compared with 2021 and 2022.

Italian deliveries to Morocco rose to a record high of 264,000t, compared with 19,000t in 2023, with some of the volumes understood to be secured under a long term supply contract.

Bulgaria supplied 227,000t of acid in 2024, from 19,000t last year, while Turkey shipped 207,400t of acid, up from 37,000t last year.

Spanish acid deliveries came to 198,000t in 2024, the highest level shipped since 2021, prior to when OCP paused sulphuric acid buying.

Northwest European countries shipped around 430,000t acid in 2024, more than double the volumes delivered on the prior year.

Sulphuric acid intake in 2025 is expected to decline on the year — with import estimates ranging from 1-1.1mn t — as the latest sulphur burner commissioned by OCP ramps up in capacity, thus favouring sulphur intake instead.

By Lili Minton

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