Morocco’s
Port Strategy

Tanger Med

Capacity: 9M TEU (current) / 11.1M handled 2025

Depth: 18m

Inaugurated 2007. Located at the Strait of Gibraltar on the world's busiest shipping lane. Tanger Med 2 opened 2019, doubling capacity. Primarily a transshipment hub — goods move between large intercontinental vessels and smaller feeder ships bound for West Africa, Northern Europe, and the Americas. Operators: APM Terminals (Maersk), Eurogate, Contship Italia, Marsa Maroc. ACWA Power consortium. The port's industrial zones have attracted Renault, Stellantis, and hundreds of tier-1 automotive suppliers. Morocco's maritime connectivity ranking jumped from 78th (2004) to 17th (2024).

Nador West Med

Capacity: 5M TEU initial / 12M expandable

Depth: Deep water

Morocco's third deepwater port. Located in the Bay of Betoya, 30 km west of Nador, on the eastern Rif coast. Designed for containers, hydrocarbons, coal, and general cargo. Will host Morocco's first floating LNG storage and regasification unit (FSRU), connecting via pipeline to industrial hubs in the northwest. Industrial zone will eventually surpass Tanger Med's footprint. Financed by AfDB, European funds (€300M+), and Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development. Highway construction between Guercif and Nador will link to Fes–Meknes corridor.

Dakhla Atlantique

Capacity: Multi-purpose (fishing, industry, energy)

Depth: 23m (deepest in Morocco)

Morocco's Atlantic gateway to West and Central Africa. Located in the Southern Provinces (Western Sahara). Designed for fishing, shipbuilding, processing industries, and energy value chains. Will integrate desalination to irrigate 5,200 hectares of farmland — food security infrastructure built into the port. Positioned to process raw materials from Sahel countries and export green hydrogen to Europe. Construction ~50% complete as of late 2025.

Casablanca

Capacity: ~1.3M TEU

Depth: 13.5m

Morocco's original major port, operational since the French Protectorate. Handles a broad mix: containers, bulk, general cargo, phosphates, and passengers. Increasingly constrained by urban encroachment. Tanger Med has absorbed much of the growth, but Casablanca remains essential for import/export serving the Casablanca–Rabat economic corridor (home to ~40% of GDP).

Jorf Lasfar

Capacity: Bulk-focused (phosphates, chemicals)

Depth: 16m

Not a container port — this is Morocco's phosphate superport. Adjacent to OCP's Jorf Lasfar processing complex (the world's largest integrated phosphate facility). Handles fertilizer exports to 50+ countries. Morocco's second deepwater port after Tanger Med. Also handles coal imports for the nearby thermal power station and general industrial cargo.

Safi

Capacity: Bulk (phosphates, sardines)

Depth: 10m

Industrial port serving OCP's second phosphate processing plant and Morocco's sardine fishing fleet. Smaller than Jorf Lasfar but historically important — the first phosphate export terminal. Being studied for expansion as part of the national port strategy.

Kénitra Atlantique

Capacity: Under study

Depth: TBD

Under feasibility study. Would serve the growing Kénitra Atlantic Free Zone, home to Stellantis's second Moroccan assembly plant and tier-1 suppliers. Would reduce logistics pressure on Casablanca and complement Tanger Med for Atlantic-facing trade.