Tanger Med Port Sees Container Traffic Surge, Passenger Numbers Plummet in 2021

It is precisely a traffic of more than 7.2 million containers according to the 2021 report unveiled by the management, which specifies that this performance results from the continuous ramp-up of the Tanger Med 2 port after the successive start-up of the TC4 terminals in 2019 and then TC3 in 2021.

This trend observed in 2021, it continues, reinforces the position of the port complex as a major strategic hub, as well as its key role as a privileged logistics platform serving logistics competitiveness.

According to the figures, the total tonnage handled during the past year is 101.05 million tons, an increase of 25% compared to 2020. The port of Tanger Med thus processes alone more than 50% of the total tonnage handled by all the ports of Morocco.

In detail, the traffic of TIR (International Road Transport) trucks reached 407,459 TIR trucks in 2021, up 14% compared to 2020. A traffic that has mainly been driven by the recovery of industrial exports, as well as by the good performance of the agricultural season and agro-industrial exports.

As for vehicle traffic, a total of 429,509 new vehicles were handled on the two vehicle terminals of the port of Tanger Med in 2021, an increase of 20% compared to the previous year.

Liquid bulk traffic, on the other hand, saw an increase of 9% compared to 2020, recording a total traffic of 8,744,900 tons of hydrocarbons handled. As for solid bulk traffic, it recorded a total of 342,804 tons handled, up 13% compared to 2020, driven by the traffic of steel coils, wind turbine blades and cereals.

Passenger traffic has been strongly impacted by the health context. Thus, only 587,320 passengers transited through the port of Tanger Med in 2021, down 14% compared to 2020. As for maritime traffic, 10,902 ships called at the port of Tanger Med in 2021, up 12% compared to 2020. The port complex welcomed nearly 929 mega-ships (size greater than 290 meters) during the past year.