Morocco is expanding its marine infrastructure with two big deepwater port developments, one on the Mediterranean and one on the Atlantic, aimed at bolstering its position as a regional logistics and industrial powerhouse.
According to Equipment and Water Minister Nizar Baraka, the first project, Nador West Med, is under construction on the Mediterranean coast and is slated to commence operations in the second half of 2026.
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The port is intended with an initial 800 hectares dedicated to industrial activity, with long-term ambitions to expand the zone to 5,000 hectares, allowing it to exceed the industrial capacity of Tanger Med, the country’s main port complex.
Nador West Med will include Morocco’s first LNG terminal, which will be based on a floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU).
This plant will connect to major industrial hubs via pipeline and is meant to help the country transition away from coal and toward natural gas and renewable energy.
On the Atlantic side, Morocco is moving forward with a $1 billion port project in Dakhla, Western Sahara, Bloomberg reports.
The port will comprise 1,600 hectares of industrial development, as well as 5,200 hectares of farmland irrigated with desalinated water.
The Dakhla port, scheduled for completion in 2028, is expected to be the country’s deepest, with a 23-meter draft capable of accommodating huge industrial operations, especially those focused on processing raw materials from Sahel nations.
Moroccan officials view the port as a future commercial corridor that will connect landlocked Sahel countries to global markets.
These new ports will supplement Morocco’s existing deepwater facilities, Tanger Med and Jorf Lasfar, which now handle energy products, bulk cargo, and phosphate exports.
Tanger Med’s industrial platform has grown to 1,400 enterprises by 2024, employing approximately 130,000 people in industries like as automobile manufacturing, aeronautics, textiles, agribusiness, and renewable energy.
Morocco is also looking into the development of another Atlantic port in Tan-Tan with investors in the green hydrogen industry, indicating the country’s desire to diversify and upgrade its maritime infrastructure.
