Tanger Med to add 4.5 million containers by 2031 under $2.5 billion expansion plan

Morocco’s Tanger Med port will expand its annual container-handling capacity by more than a third under a new investment programme exceeding €2.1 billion, with a third port extension scheduled to begin operations in mid-2031, port officials said.

The project, known as Tanger Med 3, will add capacity for 4.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) annually, bringing the complex’s initial capacity to nearly 16 million containers, according to details provided to AFP by Tanger Med chief executive Mehdi Tazi-Riffi.

The expansion involves more than €730 million, equivalent to MAD 8 billion, in public investment, alongside over €1.4 billion, or MAD 16 billion, from private concessionaires.

Construction is expected to begin shortly, following an October 28 meeting chaired by King Mohammed VI to review the progress of Morocco’s major port infrastructure projects.

A concession agreement has already been signed with Maersk-APM for the development and operation of the new container terminal.

Located west of Tanger Med 2, the extension will include 1,200 metres of quays and new maritime infrastructure designed to accommodate larger volumes of international shipping.

Tanger Med handled more than 11 million containers in 2025, maintaining its position as Africa’s largest container port and one of the Mediterranean’s principal maritime hubs.

Its location on the Strait of Gibraltar, opposite Spain, places it along major shipping routes linking Europe, Africa and Asia, while its logistics and industrial platforms serve Moroccan exporters, particularly the automotive industry.

The expansion is part of a broader programme that could eventually increase the complex’s capacity to 20 million containers annually, potentially placing it among the world’s ten largest container ports.The 20-million target would require additional projects beyond Tanger Med 3, including the eastern extension of Tanger Med 2 and improvements to passenger and freight facilities.

Morocco is simultaneously preparing to launch operations at Nador West Med, more than 400 kilometres east of Tanger Med.

The new Mediterranean port will include container terminals and energy infrastructure, including a planned liquefied natural gas terminal with annual handling capacity of five billion cubic metres.The two projects form part of Morocco’s strategy to expand maritime trade infrastructure, strengthen industrial supply chains and develop new energy import capacity.