Spanish Port of Algeciras Faces Growing Competition from Morocco’s Tanger Med

The main port of Spain, the port of Algeciras continues to grow despite strong competition. In 2019, it posted new performances around 2%, above the national port average. It welcomed nearly 110 million tons, compared to 80 for the port of Valencia and 70 in Barcelona, notes El Economista.

The fourth largest port in Europe thanks to its modern facilities and its strategic position in the Strait of Gibraltar, where about 300 ships pass every day, it has exceeded six million passengers and five million containers called Teus. This last section has highlighted the growth of full import/export containers of 13 and 8% respectively, making the port of Algeciras a powerful engine of foreign trade in Andalusia and Spain.

Over the past decade, import/export containers have recorded 160% growth. To these data, we must add the truck traffic with North Africa, which will reach 370,000 units and is also fed by imports and exports of goods.

The other challenge for the port of Algeciras is the growing competition from Tanger Med, on the African coast and since last June Tanger Med 2. It welcomes up to nine million containers, seven million passengers and 700,000 TIR trucks in transit, as well as the export of one million vehicles, thus far exceeding the port of Algeciras.