CMA CGM invests in Moroccan container terminal
French carrier expands presence in growing Moroccan ports amid Red Sea crisis by acquiring stake in Morocco’s Nador West Med container terminal with local port operator
By investing $280m in the development, the partners aim to achieve an annual terminal capacity of 1.2m teu. The terminal will also be a bunkering hub for CMA CGM’s dual-fuel gas and methanol vessels
CMA CGM has signed a deal with Morocco’s state-controlled port operator Marsa Maroc to equip and operate for 25 years a 750 metre section of quay and 35 hectares of yard at the Nador West Med container terminal.
The move comes as the French carrier seeks to strengthen its position in Morocco, reflecting the country’s geographical importance in international trade as ocean carriers rerouting around the Cape of Good Hope because of the Red Sea crisis increasingly use Moroccan ports as transhipment hubs.
During the first half of 2024, the total volume of commercial traffic handled by Moroccan ports reached 116.4m tonnes — an increase of 15.3% compared with the same period of the previous year, according to the Ministry of Equipment and Water.
According to CMA CGM, Nador West Med, located 130 miles east of Gibraltar on the Oued Kert estuary in the Bay of Betoya, will complement its terminals in the strategic western Mediterranean region.
The company owns 100% of a terminal in Casablanca and a 40% stake in Tanger Med’s Eurogate terminal.
Through the creation of a joint venture — in which CMA CGM and Marsa Maroc will hold 49% and 51%, respectively — the two companies will equip and operate 50% of the Nador West Med container terminal.
The site comprises 35 hectares of container yard and 750 metre of quay, with a maximum draught of 18 m.
For a 25-year sub-concession, CMA CGM and Marsa Maroc will jointly invest $280m to achieve an annual terminal output of 1.2m teu.
“Capable of handling the world’s largest containerships, with a maximum draught of 18 m, the terminal will eventually be equipped with eight transhipment cranes, compared with six at present, and 24 electric rubber-tyred gantry cranes, compared with 15 at present,” CMA CGM said in a statement.
In addition to handling cargo, Nador West Med will act as a bunkering hub for CMA CGM’s fleet of dual-fuel gas and methanol vessels.
With 1,300 employees in Morocco, the French company operates 31 maritime services from the country’s main ports, including Agadir, Casablanca and Tanger Med and serves 81 ports directly from Morocco.
