MOROCCO · PORTS AND TRADE
Key Facts
- The country Morocco runs Tanger Med, the busiest container port in Africa and the Mediterranean.
- Why now King Mohammed VI reviewed the projects on Wednesday 28 October; Nador West Med’s first terminal opens within days.
- What happened Nador West Med has drawn US$5.5 billion; Tanger Med 3 adds a US$813 million terminal.
- What it means for you More container capacity and a planned LNG terminal widen Morocco’s trade routes for US exporters.
- Still open The exact opening day, the LNG supplier and the final job numbers are not stated.
In Plain English
The Royal Office is the king’s cabinet, and its statement of 28 October is the official record of the working session. TMSA is the Tanger Med Special Agency, the state body behind the Tanger Med complex, and the chairman of its oversight board, who also chairs the Nador West Med board, briefed the king.
LNG is liquefied natural gas, gas chilled into a liquid so ships can carry it. A TEU, written EVP in French, is a twenty-foot container unit, the standard measure of port traffic.
Morocco’s first Nador West Med container terminal is due to enter service within days, after King Mohammed VI reviewed the 54 billion dirham (US$5.5 billion) port complex and the planned Tanger Med 3 port at the Royal Palace in Rabat on Wednesday 28 October 2026. The Royal Office, the king’s cabinet, said a concession contract has been signed with the shipping group Maersk-APM to develop the new container terminal at Tanger Med 3.
For US readers, the plans touch a trade relationship that has run under a free trade agreement since 1 January 2006, with US goods exports to Morocco at US$5.5 billion in 2025. They also include a planned liquefied natural gas terminal that the Royal Office says can process up to 5 billion cubic meters a year, part of the public investment push covered in the state enterprise investment plan for 2027.
What the Royal Office Announced
At Nador West Med, the first container terminal will eventually offer a capacity of 3.5 million containers, and a second terminal with a capacity of 1.8 million is due in April 2027. The two terminals will draw 8 billion dirhams (US$813 million) of private investment, converted like every dirham figure here at the central bank Bank Al-Maghrib’s reference rate of 9.8393 dirhams per US dollar on Thursday 29 October 2026.
The energy side includes a hydrocarbons terminal backed by storage of up to 4 million cubic meters and the LNG terminal, which the statement links to the kingdom’s energy security. The statement adds terminals for solid bulk and general cargo, and says an industrial zone already hosts one working factory with three more under construction.
The English and French texts of the Royal Office statement say the complex will create 14,000 direct and 20,000 indirect jobs in the short term, while its Arabic text gives 1,400 direct jobs. The king called for faster training programs matched to the new activities so that young people can find work in them, and the statement names a Selouane railway link, a Guercif highway and upgraded local roads as the connections serving the site.
Tanger Med 3 and the Maersk-APM Deal
Tanger Med 3 will sit west of Tanger Med 2 with 1,200 meters of quays, an added capacity of 4.5 million containers a year and an investment of 8 billion dirhams (US$813 million). The statement calls Maersk-APM one of the world leaders in maritime transport and says the concession covers the new container terminal.
With the new projects, the Tanger Med complex could reach a total capacity of 20 million containers, which the Royal Office says would place it in the global top 10. The Tanger Med group already handled 12.42 million twenty-foot container units in 2025, up 9%, and the complex alone passed 11 million, according to the finance ministry’s report on public enterprises.
What the Finance Ministry Report Adds
The report attached to the draft 2027 Finance Bill, posted on the ministry’s website in October, says Nador West Med moves from construction to pre-operation in 2026, with gradual operations planned from the fourth quarter. It adds that the LNG quay is being adapted to host a floating storage and regasification unit of up to 175,000 cubic meters, and that a towing and port assistance authorization went in 2026 to a group formed by Marsa Maroc and the Spanish firm Boluda.
Morocco’s Trade Link to the United States
The United States-Morocco relationship includes a free trade agreement that entered into force on 1 January 2006. US goods exports to Morocco were US$5.5 billion in 2025, up 2.9% from 2024, while US goods imports from Morocco were US$1.9 billion, down 2.3%, according to the US Trade Representative, the US government trade negotiator.
The Tanger Med group’s 2025 revenue was 11.878 billion dirhams (US$1.21 billion) and its net profit 3.943 billion dirhams (US$401 million), the finance ministry report shows. The report adds that the Tanger Med ecosystem hosts about 1,500 companies and supports about 145,000 jobs.
What It Means for You
Exporters and importers who trade with Morocco should expect more container capacity in the north as the terminals open, but the statements give no tariffs, shipping lines or service start dates. Anyone tracking these projects can follow the Morocco coverage for updates.
Energy investors can watch the LNG terminal, though no supplier, buyer or start date has been named. Travelers are not directly affected.
What Is Not Known
The Royal Office gave no exact opening day for the first Nador terminal, saying only that its initial phase will soon enter operation. It also did not name the operators of the Nador terminals or the supplier for the LNG terminal.
The Royal Office has not clarified whether the direct-jobs figure is 14,000, as the English and French texts say, or 1,400, as the Arabic text says. Works at Tanger Med 3 are described only as launching imminently, and the statement gives no opening year for the new port.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does the Nador West Med port open?
The Royal Office said on 28 October that the first terminal enters service in the coming days. A second container terminal is due in April 2027.
How much is the Nador West Med port complex worth?
The Royal Office says it has mobilized 54 billion dirhams (US$5.5 billion) in public and private investment. The two container terminals will draw 8 billion dirhams (US$813 million) of private investment.
What is Tanger Med 3?
It is a new port west of Tanger Med 2 with 1,200 meters of quays and room for 4.5 million more containers a year. The investment is 8 billion dirhams (US$813 million), and a concession for its container terminal has been signed with Maersk-APM.
Does the United States have a trade deal with Morocco?
Yes, the United States-Morocco Free Trade Agreement entered into force on 1 January 2006. US goods exports to Morocco were US$5.5 billion in 2025, according to the US Trade Representative.
Sources: Moroccan Head of Government site, Statement by the Royal Office, 28 October 2026; Statement by the Royal Office, Arabic text, 28 October 2026; Ministry of Economy and Finance, Report on Public Establishments and Enterprises, 2027 Finance Bill, October 2026; Bank Al-Maghrib, reference exchange rates, 29 October 2026; Office of the US Trade Representative, Morocco.
This article was produced by The Rio Times’ automated newsroom system. How we use AI · Report an error · Editorial responsibility: Matthias Camenzind, Editor-in-Chief