TangerMed and Maersk Open New Container Terminal in Morocco
APM Terminals Medport Tangier container terminal, a collaboration between Moroccan port TangerMed and Danish shipping major A.P. Moller – Maersk, has officially opened its doors.
With the new facility which has a capacity of 5 million TEUs, Morocco is becoming one of the most important transshipment locations in the world.And from gCaptain, June 26:
The construction of APM Terminals MedPort Tangier — the first automated container terminal in Africa — took two years and a total investment of USD 800 million to make this facility become reality.
The new transshipment terminal is designed, constructed and operated by APM Terminals, and will join the hub facilities servicing Maersk and its partners. Built utilizing the latest technology, the terminal is set to be one of the most efficient and safe in the world, Maersk said.
“APM Terminals has a long-term relationship with Morocco and we are proud to be operating the second container terminal in the Tanger-Med port complex,” Morten H. Engelstoft, Chief Executive Officer of APM Terminals commented.
The new facility is expected to support TangerMed Port to increase its annual throughput capacity to nine million TEU’s helping to improve Moroccan connectivity and further support global trade....MORE
Tangier Port to Become Mediterranean’s Largest
Morocco will open new terminals at Tanger Med port on Thursday, allowing it to surpass the Mediterranean’s largest ports Algeciras and Valencia in terms of container capacity, and drive more investment and manufacturing to the country.
Tanger Med, the biggest port in Africa with an annual volume of 3.5 million 20-foot equivalent units (TEU) in 2018, will add six million in capacity after its extension worth 1.3 billion euros, port director Rachid Houari said in an interview.
Morocco hopes the port, which offers a platform for exports by local production plants of French car makers such as Renault SA and Peugeot SA, will reach volumes of 4.5 million TEU by this year’s end like Algeciras in southern Spain.
Authorities at the port on the western tip of the Mediterranean, just across from the Spanish coast, hope it can build on its role as a calling point for container shipping firms, especially between Asia, Africa and Europe.
“I hope we will add one million TEU of containers every year,” said Houari. He declined to estimate future volumes, saying only the original terminal had reached 3.5 million TEU in just six years.
“Fingers crossed we will fill it up in six years,” he said.....MORE
