The stopover of the CMA CGM NOTRE DAME on July 27, at the TC2 terminal at the port of Tanger Med in Tangier Med confirms the capacity of the port complex to accommodate the largest ships in circulation. 400 meters long and capable of carrying up to 24,212 EVP containers, the CMA CGM NOTRE DAME is today the largest ship powered by liquefied natural gas (LNG).
Operated by the French group CMA CGM, it is assigned to the French Asia Line (FAL 3), which connects the main ports of Asia to Europe. For Tanger Med, this stopover goes beyond the simple reception of an extraordinary ship.
It reflects the confidence of a global shipowner in the operational capabilities of the first Moroccan port and illustrates Morocco’s growing role in international maritime trade and strengthens the attractiveness of the port to major transport companies. This stopover is explained by the performance recorded in recent years.
5.11.1 million of EVP treated in 2025, an increase of 8.4% compared to the previous year, a total traffic that reached 161 million tons of goods, up 13.3%, while 1,319 mega-ships of more than 290 meters actually stopped in the port complex. These performances explain the place occupied by Tanger Med in the international rankings.
Indeed, the complex ranked in 2025 as the first container port in Africa and the Mediterranean and sixth worldwide in the « Container Port Performance Index (CPPI) » index published by the World Bank in collaboration with S&P Global Market Intelligence.
This index not only measures the volume of goods handled, but also the operational efficiency of ports, including the speed of stopovers, the quality of handling operations and the fluidity of the supply chain.
For shipowners, these criteria directly weigh on operating costs and delivery times and guide commercial and logistics policies capable of significantly influencing global supply chains.
Florian Goupil, CEO of CMA CGM Morocco, described Tangier Med as a strategic partner for the group, while Adil Aït Oualil, Director of Maritime Operations of the Tanger Med Captaincy, stresses that this stopover illustrates the port’s ability to accommodate the largest ships in service in the world.
For Amine Sami, an international expert in economics and strategic planning, this stopover is a strong signal sent to the entire maritime sector. According to him, a ship of this size chooses a port not only for the depth of its docks but also for its reliable infrastructure, the rapid rotation of ships, the strong connectivity and an organization capable of limiting waiting times.
The fact that the CMA CGM NOTRE DAME according to Amine Sami, is integrated into a line regularly serving Tanger Med, confirms that the Moroccan complex is now among the world’s major logistics platforms.
The expert also believes that the impact of such a stopover exceeds the port sector alone, it is the symbol of a strengthened connection between Asia and Europe that facilitates trade and reduces transport delays for companies based in Morocco, the automotive, aeronautics, textile and agri-food sectors.
According to Sami Amine, can thus access their export markets more quickly and is also an additional argument for international investors looking for an industrial platform connected to the main axes of world trade.
However, competition between major port hubs remains sustained and maintaining this place means continuing the investment effort in infrastructure, the digitization of services and logistics performance.
Nevertheless, the stopover of the CMA CGM NOTRE DAME illustrates a reality according to which Tangier Med is no longer just a reference port at the regional level.
It then gradually established itself as a strategic link in global supply chains, thus strengthening Morocco’s position in international maritime trade.
