en.Wedoany.com Reported - To accelerate the phosphate expansion project at Annaba Port, the Algerian government plans to double the workforce and deploy additional machinery between July and August, aiming to complete the project by the first quarter of 2027. The country's Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure has explicitly stated that additional workers and equipment will be deployed during this period.

This Mediterranean port will serve as the primary export gateway for Algeria's expanding phosphate industry. According to data provided by analysts at Argus Media, the IPP Souk Ahras phosphate plant has a designed annual production capacity of 900,000 metric tons of P₂O₅, requiring approximately 3 million metric tons of phosphate rock per year. The Bled El Hadba mine, which supplies this complex, is already operational and is building up inventory.

Additionally, phosphate producer Somiphos plans to complete the annual expansion of the Djebel Onk mine by mid-2027, increasing capacity from approximately 1.5 million metric tons by 1 million metric tons. The additional output may support exports to Indonesia, with volumes reaching up to 1 million metric tons per year under an agreement with Pupuk Indonesia. New supply from Algeria could offer European and Asian buyers an alternative to Middle Eastern raw materials, but it will not be sufficient to alleviate current market tightness, which is partly driven by disruptions in Gulf trade routes and rising sulfur costs.