The first terminal has an annual capacity target of 3.5 million TEUs by 2030, with a second terminal expected to lift Nador West Med’s total planned container-handling capacity to 5.3 million TEUs
Morocco has launched its first container terminal at Nador West Med. The new terminal forms part of a MAD54 billion port complex designed to strengthen the country’s shipping, logistics and industrial capacity, with a second container terminal expected to open in 2027.
The launch took place on October 31, 2026, when Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan officially inaugurated the East Container Terminal and witnessed the first container being unloaded from a commercial vessel.
The terminal forms part of the Nador West Med industrial-port complex, which has attracted MAD54 billion in public and private investment.
According to the Moroccan government, the project aims to strengthen the country’s position in international maritime trade by expanding its port capacity and developing new industrial, logistics and energy hubs.
The East Container Terminal represents an investment of approximately MAD5 billion and will be operated by a consortium comprising Marsa Maroc and Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), a subsidiary of MSC, under a 25-year concession.
The facility has 1,520 metres of quay, a water depth of 18 metres and 70 hectares of container-handling and storage space. It is expected to reach an annual handling capacity of 3.5 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs) by 2030.
Expanding container-handling capacity
Nador West Med will also have a second container terminal, the West Container Terminal, which is expected to begin operations in April 2027.
The terminal will have an annual handling capacity of 1.8 million TEUs and will be operated by a partnership between Marsa Maroc and CMA CGM.
Once both terminals are operational, the port’s planned container-handling capacity will reach 5.3 million TEUs annually.
Beyond container shipping, the complex will accommodate facilities for bulk and general cargo, hydrocarbons and liquefied natural gas (LNG). The LNG terminal is designed to process up to five billion cubic metres of gas annually, while the hydrocarbons terminal will have a capacity of 25 million tonnes.
The wider development also includes a 700-hectare industrial and logistics platform intended to attract investment and support new economic activities in the region.