Summary:

In recent days, British logistics firm Suardiaz Group and Spanish firm Grupo Transonuba announced the creation of a new direct maritime transport line between the Tanger Med Port in Morocco and the Huelva Port in southwestern Spain starting from Sunday 16 March. 

 The new direct line will allow a transit time of just six hours, facilitating the transport of dry, refrigerated, and International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG). 

Days prior, the Tanger Med Port Authority (TMPA) board dismissed the Director General of the port, Hassan Abkhari, during an emergency meeting that addressed possible conflicts of interest following Abkhari’s creation of a consulting firm in rival coastal city of Valencia, Spain.  

 Meanwhile, in mid-January 2025, shipping giant Maersk announced it would redirect its MECL service route from Spain’s Port of Algeciras to Morocco’s Tanger Med port, citing improved transit times that would reduce shipping by five days from India, Pakistan, and the Middle East to the US East Coast. 

Outlook: 

New lines and services redirected to the Tanger Med are likely to reinforce the Moroccan port’s position as the fourth best performing container port in the world. The dismissal of the port’s director displays determination to preserve or enhance the port’s reputation and critical role in international maritime shipping.  

The establishment of new direct lines between the Tanger Med and European ports is likely to serve Morocco’s plan to increase exports to Europe while increasing connectivity with other African countries via the Royal Atlantic Initiative which seeks to export African products through Moroccan ports.   

The Tanger Med port is likely to continue to play a crucial role in the Moroccan shipping industry until the Dakhla and Nador West Med ports are completed with the help of international investors.  

The geographic position of Morocco’s ports connecting with African, European and American countries in addition to Morocco’s non-implementation of a carbon tax on ships, are likely to continue attracting logistics firms to Morocco.  

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