The Nador West Med port project continues its development with the objective of welcoming its first ship by mid-2026. Mohamed Jamal Benjelloun, general director of the Nador West Med Company (SNWM), indicated that the infrastructure work is now completed and that efforts are focused on the installation of equipment and the final developments of the site.
This new site, which represents a major step forward for the Moroccan economy, is part of a large-scale project to transform the Nador region into an international logistics hub. The maritime hub is designed to handle up to three million containers per year (twenty-foot equivalent units – TEU), with the possibility of expanding this capacity to five million containers. At the same time, the port will be able to handle 25 million tonnes of hydrocarbons, seven million tonnes of coal and three million tonnes of various goods.
As part of its development, several technical aspects have been carefully studied. The first phase of the project includes a container terminal with a 1,520 meter quay capable of accommodating large capacity vessels. This terminal will be equipped with a depth of 18 meters, thus allowing the berthing of new generation container ships. The site will also benefit from a 76-hectare land area for storage and handling of goods.
A terminal dedicated to hydrocarbons, with three oil stations 20 meters deep, will also be set up, thus strengthening the port’s capacities in the energy sector. Another terminal, specifically intended for coal, will be equipped with a quay of 360 meters and a depth of 20 meters, allowing the docking of ships carrying massive cargoes.
The port of Nador West Med is already attracting considerable international interest. Several agreements have been signed with international operators, including a strategic partnership with a Chinese company. The Aeolon group, specialized in the manufacture of wind turbine blades, chose Nador to install its first factory outside China, an investment of 2.3 billion dirhams which contributes to strengthening the role of the port in the industrial and energy.
This multimodal port project, equipped with modern infrastructure and cutting-edge logistics capabilities, is intended to boost the economy of the Nador region, while consolidating Morocco’s position as a key player in international trade in the Mediterranean. It is also part of the national strategy for modernizing port infrastructure, with expected benefits both economically and on the development of international trade, particularly in Africa, Europe and Asia.
