Maersk Awarded Concession for Tanger Med 3 Container Terminal

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 28, following a session of the Moroccan Royal Cabinet, it was announced that Morocco and APM Terminals, a Maersk subsidiary, signed a concession agreement for the Tanger Med 3 container terminal (TC5). The agreement was actually signed on July 31, 2026, approved by Moroccan government decree No. 2.26.743 on September 9, and made public on October 28. The project involves public investment of MAD 8 billion (approximately EUR 730 million) for a new 1,200-meter quay line and a 3,000-meter breakwater, with a designed annual throughput capacity of 4.5 million TEU and the potential to expand to 5 million TEU. Construction is scheduled to begin at the end of October 2026, with the target of commencing operations by mid-2031.

The MAD 8 billion represents the public investment borne by the Moroccan side for port infrastructure construction; APM Terminals, as the concessionaire, is responsible for the development and operation of the terminal and will bring in over MAD 16 billion (approximately EUR 1.4 billion) in private investment for terminal equipment, yard and operating systems. The two parts together exceed MAD 24 billion, rather than being entirely funded by public finances.

The 3,000-meter breakwater is the engineering prerequisite for TC5 to function as an independent port. Tanger Med 3 is located west of the existing Tanger Med 2 and is not an expansion within the existing harbor basin, thus requiring a self-built breakwater to create sheltered waters on the open-sea side. The 1,200-meter quay line is for container ship berthing, and the 3,000-meter breakwater is for blocking open-sea swells; together they form a container terminal capable of independent operation, rather than relying on the existing shelter conditions of Tanger Med 2.

TC5 is the fifth container terminal of the Tanger Med complex. Maersk previously operated TC1 and TC4 at Tanger Med, and the addition of TC5 expands its container terminal portfolio in Morocco from two to three. Tanger Med handled 11.1 million TEU in 2025, a year-on-year increase of 8.4%; once TC5 is operational, the total annual throughput capacity of the entire complex upon completion of all projects will reach approximately 20 million TEU.