In 2023, Unimer Proteins shipped more than 300 tons of fishmeal to Normfeed Fisheries Feed Industry in Turkey, according to import data.1 Normfeed sells pet food under the brand Normati Pet Food. Between 2021 and 2023, Normfeed exported at least 600 tons of pet food and fish feed to other countries, including Bulgaria, Oman, Croatia, and Tunisia.2 Normfeed did not respond to a request for comment.3
On December 11, 2024, Moroccan police seized more than three metric tons of hashish, a banned drug that is a type of cannabis resin, which was concealed in one of Unimer Proteins’ fishmeal shipping containers.4 Officials stated that they suspected collusion between factory employees, logistics staff, and customs officials, as the container was not properly sealed by a customs officer in the Unimer Proteins plant before being transferred to the port, which is the standard protocol. The container was supposed to be shipped to a company in Belgium, which had received four previous shipments from Unimer Proteins without any issue.5 Following the chira’s discovery, police searched Unimer Proteins’ plant in Safi.6 Unimer Proteins’ factory director and head of production were both questioned as police attempted to ascertain whether or not “Unimer or its staff were complicit in the trafficking or just negligent in supervising standard procedures,” according to Yabiladi.7 Unimer Proteins is a subsidiary of Unimer Group, which put out a press release following the seizure stating the company was not aware or guilty of wrongdoing and that it would comply with the police investigation.8 The container was searched as part of a joint operation by Moroccan National Security Authorities and Customs agents in the Port of Casablanca.9
In May 2024, the Competition Council of Morocco investigated Unimer over allegations of price fixing.10 The company was suspected of “having reached an agreement on prices with some of its competitors in the Moroccan market,” according to Africa Intelligence.11
In July 2020, Unimer’s facilities in Safi were temporarily shut down by the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior for failing to comply with health measures.12
Unimer did not respond to a request for comment.13
Unimer’s fleet included 46 vessels, according to a 2024 list from Friend of the Sea.14 The vessels were all purse seiners authorized to target European pilchard and Atlantic chub mackerel. The vessels were the Soundous, My Hassan, Issam, Oumbanine, Zayn Al Abidine, Awanouz, Dar, Essalam, Tidzi, Moustaqim, Sokhrate Allah, Al Abraje, El Majd, Safoua, Med Ben Abdellah, Fourrat, Islam, Achabab, Agadir, Alhadifi, Raihane, Abourayan, Abou Mehdi, Taha, Akram, Sahm Sahara, El Hijra, Ayoub, Nassima, Al Barzakh, Anahla, Chaanane, Al Jaouda, Abdou, Marjane, Nour Sayd, Nadia, Soukaina, Riad, Al Imtiyaz, Meya, Erika, El Mehdi-4, Nord Ouest, Doyouf Al Bahr, Anz, Toubkal-2.