Maghreb ports seek to replicate Tanger Med’s success

Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia are all hopeful of having new gateways in operation within the next five years, with container terminals capable of handling substantial volumes of transhipment business the focus of these developments.

Already under development or in advanced stages of planning are Nador West Med Port and Dhakla in Morocco, El-Mandania and Djen Djen in Algeria, and Enfidha in Tunisia. In addition, substantial capital investment programmes are under way at several of these countries’ existing ports, including Casablanca, Algiers, Oran, Tunis and La Goulette, as terminals are expanded and modernised to handle the region’s increasing traffic base more efficiently and sustainably.

In many respects, the trigger for these developments has been the success of Tanger Med in Morocco. It opened in 2007 and now comprises four container terminals, each developed and operating under different concession agreements, with the complex having grown to become the largest container handling cluster in the Mediterranean.

In 2025, Tanger Med processed over 11.1m TEU, up 8.4%. Critically, the development of the port has also improved the efficiency and sustainability with which the country’s import/export cargo is handled and this has contributed to Morocco’s economic growth and encouraged foreign direct investment into the country. Tanger Med’s adjacent logistics and industrial park is now home to more than 1,400 companies.

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