Maersk shifts to Morocco: Tanger-Med gains as Europe gets costly

The shipping company revealed in its annual report that the obligation to acquire emission allowances (ETS) caused a major increase in operating costs. “Fuel costs were negatively affected by EU ETS costs, which rose by 96% compared with 2024,” management stated. This climate toll has prompted the group to reconfigure its logistics hubs in favor of port facilities located outside the European Union.

On Bladi.net : Maersk Shifts US-India Route from Algeciras to Tangier Med Port

In this new architecture, Tanger-Med has emerged as the main beneficiary of the “Gemini Cooperation” network, operated with Hapag-Lloyd. The Moroccan port now serves as the exclusive hub terminal linking Asia with northern Europe, relegating sites such as Algeciras to the background. The report emphasizes that this shift in traffic is driven by the need to optimize routes in response to rising European regulatory costs.

Morocco also plays a leading role in the group’s decarbonization efforts. Maersk has increased its renewable electricity consumption to 62%, an increase “mainly driven by obtaining a Power Purchase Agreement covering our terminals in Morocco.” Green investments are focused on the APM Terminals Tangier TC1 and MEDPort Tangier sites, while no project of comparable scale is mentioned for the nearby Spanish facilities.

On Bladi.net : Tanger Med Port: Morocco Challenges Rotterdam and Antwerp in Container Traffic

These adjustments come as the group’s operating profit (EBIT) fell to 3.5 billion dollars in 2025. Market volatility, heightened by ships being diverted around the Cape of Good Hope because of tensions in the Red Sea, increased logistical pressure in the western Mediterranean, strengthening the strategic relevance of Moroccan terminals at the expense of European ports.