A new partnership in Moroccan transshipment

Subject to regulatory approval, the agreement will establish a joint shareholding structure, with TIL holding 50% minus one share and Marsa Maroc retaining 50% plus one share. 

“Marsa Maroc is successfully continuing the implementation of its ambitious strategic plan for 2030,” said the company in a statement.

”This partnership with MSC Group, the world’s leading shipping company, illustrates Marsa Maroc’s ability to associate internationally renowned partners to its development projects.”

Strategic plan

After more than a decade of planning, progress suddenly began to be made in the development of the new Mediterranean port last year.

Back in October 2024, French container shipping and logistics giant CMA CGM Group signed a joint venture agreement with Marsa Maroc to equip and operate for 25 years a 750-metre section of quay and 35 hectares of yard within the Nador West Med container terminal.

North Africa’s transshipment ports on a critical new role in 2024.

The closing of the Red Sea meant that containerships were diverting not following normal routes that went to ports ranging from Greece to Italy and others along the Mediterranean with many choosing to transship containers from ports such as Tangier Med into the eastern Med instead.

Tangier Med and others began experiencing backlogs and congestion due to the high volumes as a result.

The new port at Nador West Med, set to open in early 2027, will feature 1,520 metres of quay, 18-metre depth and 70 hectares of yard space, with a full capacity of 3.4 million teu.

As Morocco’s leading port operator, Marsa Maroc manages 25 terminals across 11 ports, handling over 60 million tons of cargo annually.