Erected as a global maritime hub, the port of Tanger Med illustrates the success of Morocco’s strategic choice in terms of partnerships, logistics performance and industrial integration, according to the Senegalese daily Le Soleil.
More than just a port infrastructure, the port of Tangier Med is now a real national pride for Morocco and one of the most efficient logistics complexes in the world, underlines the Senegalese daily Le Soleil.
In an article entitled « Port of Tangier Med: Morocco’s winning bet », the newspaper indicates that Tangier Med is not limited to a container port, but is an integrated logistics platform, connected to a multimodal transport network combining railways, motorways and expressways, ensuring the smooth movement of goods and people to all economic regions of the Kingdom.
The complex also houses, between its two container terminals, a port dedicated to passengers and caravans, through which hundreds of trucks transit daily to Europe, especially to Spain and France.
A strategic crossroads of world maritime trade, Tanger Med connects North and South of America in ten days, Rotterdam in three days, China in twenty days, as well as about forty African ports spread over 24 countries, including Dakar in just 36 hours, reports Le Soleil, citing site officials.
To make this major project a reality, Morocco has chosen the public-private partnership (PPP), a decisive option in the development of the complex. Some partners have provided the financing and construction of specific infrastructure in return for operating concessions over defined periods. This collaboration with major global operators has allowed the Kingdom to develop recognized expertise in port management, says the Senegalese daily.
Operational performance remains, according to the same source, a permanent requirement. Terminal 2, 2,800 meters long, processes up to 7 million containers per year, while Terminal 1, with a linear of 1,600 meters, has an annual capacity of 3 million containers. The complex also includes a hydrocarbon terminal with a capacity of 5 million cubic meters, a bull-to-car terminal and a valet terminal, which include production units of French car manufacturers.
Designed as a global ecosystem, Tanger Med also relies on a vast free zone backed by the port, which has attracted more than 500 companies and allowed the creation of more than 100,000 jobs. In a logic of inclusive development, the Tangier Med Port Foundation also funds projects in the fields of education, health, vocational training and humanitarian action.
The transition with the former occupants of the site went smoothly, notes Le Soleil. The fishermen were relocated to a nearby converted port, while the old port of Tangier-ville was converted into a marina.
Dominating the entire industrial-port complex and facing the Strait of Gibraltar, the Kingdom’s motto, « God, the Fatherland, the King », is displayed in monumental letters on the heights, a symbol of the continuity and solidity of the Moroccan model, concludes the Senegalese daily.
