Moroccan Port Tanger-Med Expands, Boosting Container Capacity to Rival European Hubs

This extension, covering 18 hectares with 400 additional meters of quay, will allow the handling of an additional one million containers per year. The completion of this phase brings the current capacity of the terminal to four million containers, thus approaching the goal set at five million for 2025.

The Tanger-Med port complex, with its various phases and terminals, aims to reach a total capacity of nine million containers. The APM Terminals terminal contributes significantly to this capacity, with four million containers already operational. In parallel, Marsa Maroc’s Terminal 3, also located in the Tanger Med 2 area, provides a capacity of one million containers. Tanger-Med 1 and the Eurogate terminal add another 3 million to the overall port capacity.

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The development of Tanger-Med now positions it ahead of competing ports, such as Algeciras, which currently handles five million containers and plans an expansion to seven million. The port of Valencia, with its current capacity of 7.2 million containers, also plans an extension.

The recent expansion of Tanger-Med incorporates new technological advances. It includes seven new container stacks, 14 electric and automated gantry cranes, and 11 semi-automated hybrid carriers. In addition, four new cranes, among the largest in the world, capable of handling mega-vessels, have been commissioned. An innovative self-mooring system has been installed, thus increasing operational efficiency and safety, while reducing vessel downtime.

The port plans to add 17.5 hectares and 400 additional meters of quay by 2025, bringing the total quay length to 2,000 meters. In collaboration with the Tanger-Med Port Authority, efforts are underway to electrify the quays, thus reducing dependence on combustion engines and aiming for a carbon-neutral footprint for APM Terminals by 2040.