Morocco Plans $940 Million Mega-Port Near Canary Islands, Rivaling Tanger Med

Buoyed by the success of Tanger Med, Morocco will build a replica near the Canary Islands. Its name, "Dakhla Atlantique", will be a commercial port whose location, initially planned about 70 kilometers north of Dakhla, will be halfway between Casablanca (1,500 kilometers to the north) and Dakar (1,300 to the south).

According to the Spanish newspaper ABC, this giant will include a main breakwater of 2,800 meters, a secondary one of 600 meters and a commercial quay of 800 meters. The announcement of this gigantic project is already sowing fear in the port circles of Las Palmas.

For his part, the new President of Puertos de Las Palmas, Luis Ibarra, has already announced a program aimed at not losing market share and better developing the potential of the historical leader of the goods trade in the Canary Islands.

For the Moroccan Government, "it is an important port hub that joins the other main ports of the country (Casablanca, Tanger Med, Nador West Med, Safi and the Kénitra project) and "will strengthen the country’s position as the gateway to the African continent".

In addition, a free zone is also planned to be built near this port, the estimated traffic of which will reach 2.2 million tons in the first years of operation, which will lead to an economic hub that, according to the Moroccan authorities, "will attract investments and create jobs".