Moroccan $4bn port to be operational by end of 2026

Morocco is reportedly preparing to start operations at a new port next year to reinforce its position as a Mediterranean trade hub.

The MAD40 billion ($4.2 billion) Nador West Med port, located in the country’s northeast, is likely to become operational by the end of 2026, Ashraq Business reported, quoting Nador West Med Company CEO Mohamed Jamal Benjelloun.

The port is expected to have a handling capacity of 5.5 million containers and hydrocarbon storage capacity of 25 million tonnes, the largest in the country. It will also house the country’s first LNG receiving terminal, scheduled to come online in the first half of 2027. It will have a maximum capacity of 175,000 cubic metres.

Initial private investments in the port include two container terminals worth MAD6 billion and hydrocarbon storage terminals valued at MAD3 billion.

Morocco has 44 ports along its 3,500km coastline, including 14 dedicated to foreign trade. Combined annual handling capacity is around 300 million tonnes, the report said.

The government set up Nador West Med in 2012 to develop the port’s infrastructure.  

Morocco is also building another port on the Atlantic coast in the southern city of Dakhla for $1.4 billion. Work on that port is half complete, with readiness expected by 2028, the report said. 

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Last month Morocco invited bids for the construction of a new terminal at King Mohammed V airport in Casablanca on the Atlantic coast.

Transport and logistics minister Abdul Salam Qayuh said in April that the country would seek loans to fund infrastructure projects, which are expected to attract scores of foreign companies.

The transport ministry said in early 2025 that the development projects cover nearly 35 cities and investments could exceed $34 billion over the next five years.