King Mohammed VI chaired a working meeting at the Royal Palace in Rabat on Wednesday to review progress on Nador West Med, whose first container terminal is expected to begin operations within days, and the planned construction of Tanger Med 3, the Royal Cabinet said in a statement.
The meeting followed a previous review of major port projects on January 28 and included a presentation on the development and next stages of both complexes.
Nador West Med has attracted 54 billion dirhams in public and private investment, the statement said. Its first container terminal will eventually have an annual capacity of 3.5 million containers, while a second terminal, designed to handle 1.8 million, is scheduled to enter service in April 2027. The two terminals represent 8 billion dirhams in private investment.
The complex will also include a hydrocarbons terminal, storage facilities with potential capacity of 4 million cubic metres and a liquefied natural gas terminal capable of processing up to 5 billion cubic metres annually.
Its industrial zone currently has one operating factory and three under construction. The project is expected to generate 14,000 direct and 20,000 indirect jobs in the near term.
The Royal Cabinet also announced plans to begin construction shortly on Tanger Med 3, west of Tanger Med 2, at an estimated cost of 8 billion dirhams.
The new port will have 1,200 metres of quays and add annual capacity of 4.5 million containers. A concession agreement has been signed with Maersk–APM to develop the terminal.
The statement said the expansion could eventually raise Tanger Med’s total annual capacity to 20 million containers, potentially placing it among the world’s 10 largest container ports by capacity.
At the meeting, King Mohammed VI stressed that the projects’ economic and social benefits must reach all affected provinces and deliver “tangible improvements for local populations.”
He also called for accelerating vocational training programmes to help young people secure jobs in the emerging industries.
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