The Strait of Hormuz is blocked, the Red Sea is under bombardment: the reconfiguration of global trade flows is propelling the Tangier Med port complex to the heart of a new logistics paradigm. Between unprecedented opportunities and the risk of saturation, a decisive game is being played out.
Since March 1, 2026, something has changed in the
control rooms of the major shipping companies.
Maersk, CMG CGM, Hapag-Lloyd, ONE, HMM, Yang
Ming … in a few days, all of them redirected their ships away from
the straits of the Middle East.
The Red Sea, the gateway to the Suez Canal, became too risky an
option as the Bab el-Mandeb and Hormuz straits both
transformed into war zones. The Cape of Good Hope route thus
emerged as the default. And on this new course, at the junction of
the Atlantic and the Mediterranean, one port is ideally
positioned: Tangier Med.
According to the annual report of Tanger Med Port Authority, the
complex handled 11.1 million TEUs (twenty-foot equivalent units,
the standard unit of measurement for containers) in 2025,
confirming its position as the leading container port in Africa and
the Mediterranean for the 9th consecutive year.
Geography is working in Morocco’s favor. The Strait of Gibraltar,
through which some 110,000 ships pass each year, an average of
300 per day, stands as a barometer of the fluidity of international
trade: it is the obligatory passage for any goods bypassing Africa
to reach Europe or North America. According to a well-informed
source, the port is now positioned as « a link of resilience in the
international logistics chain, a natural transit point for routes
bypassing Africa. »
And although the conflict is unfolding thousands of kilometers
away, its shockwaves are already reaching Moroccan docks. The
crisis is reshaping the global maritime trade landscape at an
unprecedented speed, and the decisions made today by
shipowners are shaping the port landscape of tomorrow. « More
than 95% of Morocco’s foreign trade passes through the sea, »
notes Abdelfettah Bouzoubaa, a maritime and port expert. In a
context where shipping routes are being abruptly reconfigured,
Morocco is fully exposed to the repercussions of this crisis, both
in terms of increased costs and opportunities.
source : TELQUEL
