Rachid Houari has been appointed to lead ferry operations in the Strait of Gibraltar as the new Directeur Général (Managing Director) for African Morocco Link (AML), which is partially owned by Stena Line.
Rachid has done his BSc in shipping operations in Southampton and his MBA at ENPC Paris and has more than 25 years of maritime experience in ferry, RoRo, and port operations in the shipping sector between Morocco and Spain.
Most recently, he held the position of managing director for three logistics zone companies within the Tangier Med Group, where he previously also had responsibilities for both port and ferry operations.
As Managing Director for AML based in Morocco, Rachid will be responsible for managing the two freight and travel routes between Tanger Med and Algeciras, Spain (where Afloat adds is Stena Europe, a former Irish Sea ferry), as well as the high-speed route between Tanger Ville and Tarifa, Spain.
Rachid succeeds Ian Hampton, who has served as interim managing director for AML since May last year. After an intensive and successful takeover of the operation in AML, Ian will now move back to the UK and focus 100 percent on Anglesey Land Holding.
As Afloat reported in April 2024, the Swedish ferry company, Stena Line, acquired a 49 percent stake in the Morocco-based ferry company AML, taking a historic step in expanding Stena Line’s operations beyond Europe. Noting, Afloat highlights the Danish-based operator DFDS also acquired last year a rival of AML, the operator FRS Iberia/Maroc, which saw the deployment of Patria Seaways, currently on short-term charter to Stena Line but in northern Europe on their Ireland-France service of Rosslare-Cherbourg.
Commenting on the appointment, Rachid Houari said, "It is an honour and truly an exciting challenge for me to take on the role of Managing Director for AML. I will do my utmost to develop the business in this expansive region, where I see great opportunities for the company moving forward, as well as for Morocco’s trade with Europe."
Niclas Mårtensson, CEO of Stena Line, also added, "I am very pleased to welcome Rachid into the Stena Line sphere and am convinced that, with his extensive and broad experience in running operations in the Strait of Gibraltar, he will succeed in this role. At the same time, I would like to take this opportunity to thank Ian Hampton for his efforts in leading the business during its first year."
