Morocco’s Tanger Med port reinforces its global logistics significance

The growing role of the port of Tanger Med in Morocco as a global trade and manufacturing hub has been reaffirmed by a recently published ranking by Spanish maritime platform Puertos y Terminales. 

This ranks Tanger Med as the 16th busiest container port in the world after handling a record 11.1-million containers in 2025. 

Tanger Med is showing steady growth as one of the major shipping and logistics hubs. It processes the commercial traffic through four container terminals. 

The port sits on one of the world’s busiest shipping routes at the Strait of Gibraltar, linking Europe, Africa and the Atlantic. It is currently the largest container port in Africa and the Mediterranean. 

“The newest terminal uses automated cranes that can handle some of the world’s largest container ships carrying more than 24,000 TEUs (one TEU equals the volume of a standard 20-foot-long intermodal shipping container),” reports Morocco World News. 

“The port’s deep-water berths, with depths of up to 18 metres, allow fully loaded mega-ships to dock without tidal restrictions. 

“Digital systems also play a key role in daily operations. Real-time vessel tracking helps manage ship arrivals, while a paperless platform connects customs, shipping companies, freight forwarders and terminal operators. Automated systems also track containers as they move through the port.” 

Large industrial zone 

In addition to the port itself, there is a large industrial zone around it, where more than a thousand companies operate in free zones. They represent industry sectors such as automotive, aerospace, electronics and textiles. 

“Rail links connect the port with Renault’s factory in Melloussa (located just east of the major port city of Tangier) and the Peugeot-Citroën network in Kenitra (in northwestern Morocco). Roll-on/roll-off terminals handle hundreds of thousands of vehicles each year. Nearby industrial parks also support global aerospace and electronics manufacturers,” says Morocco World News. 

According to Strategic Marketing for Africa, the magazine of the African Marketing Confederation, the Tanger Med port complex is set for further expansion which will boost the country’s trade capabilities and further enhance supply chain infrastructure in the Maghreb region of North Africa.  

Once completed, the new expansion will enable the port complex to, among other things, increase its truck-handling capacity to more than a million vehicles annually – up from the existing capacity of around 500,000 trucks.  

It will also boost exports in agribusiness and industry while strengthening trade links between the region and Europe.