18 December 2023 (Lloyd's List) - APM Terminals has today opened the second phase of its MedPort Tangier development at Morocco’s Tanger Med.

The 18 ha expansion will add another 400 m berth and will add another 1m teu capacity a year to the facility.

“This will significantly increase the capacity and turnaround efficiency of terminal operations, enabling better service to customers and improving overall customer experience through more efficient operations,” said APM Terminals west Mediterranean terminals head Keld Pedersen.

New equipment for Phase 2 includes 14 electric automated rail mounted gantry cranes and 11 semi-automated hybrid shuttle carriers to support high productivity and reduce CO2 emissions.

The four new remote-controlled, ship-to-shore cranes are among the largest in the world, with an 82-metre outreach and can work vessels of up to 24,000 teu.

APMT, Maersk’s terminal operating division, runs two terminals at Tanger Med.

The company sees the port complex and its associated industrial zone as a crossroad between Africa and Europe.

“International investors are being drawn to Tanger Med’s reputation for efficiency and its links to industry, with more companies also producing in Morocco to serve European and African markets,” Pedersen said.

The port and industrial complex had become a “strong option” for companies looking to nearshore their manufacturing, he added.

Between the third quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2022, the deployed capacity of container ships in Morocco increased by 32.5%, mostly driven by the ongoing development of Tanger Med, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development Review of Maritime Transport 2022.

The port complex, which has steadily climbed the ranks in the Lloyd’s List Top 100 Container Ports, is the largest in the Mediterranean basin and handled over 7.5m teu in 2022.

A further phase of development at APMT’s MedPort Tangier will see another 18 ha developed and an additional 400 m berth, and will be fully operational by 2025, increasing capacity by another 1m teu.

APMT has introduced a number of features that it says will increase efficiency at the berths. These include an auto-mooring system that can shave 15 minutes off the docking process at both arrival and departure and cut dependence on tugs.

The system also stabilises the ship, allowing for faster crane moves.

“As a result of improved efficiency due to the auto-mooring system, average vessel call times are expected to be further reduced,” APMT said.