Over recent years, due to supply chain disruptions stemming from the Covid-19 pandemic, the blockage of the Suez Canal, delays in China and the west coast of the US, global shipping has been marred by congestion and unreliability. For many port operators, it has been difficult to determine if vessels would arrive and depart on time.
“We’re in the engine room of a network and we need to make sure it works. It’s a domino effect if it doesn’t,” says Keld Pedersen, managing director of APM Terminals West Med.
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Unlike elsewhere in the world, Mr Pedersen says that in Tanger Med “we did not have any congestion”, and he attributes the reliability and efficiency of the port to the dialogue APM Terminals has with the port authorities.
Increasing efficiency
APM Terminals, which has 65 port terminals across the world, operates two of Tanger Med’s four container terminals: one that opened in 2007 and another from 2019.
For the second time in three years, APM Terminals, which is part of Danish shipping company Maersk’s transport and logistics division, has named one of its container terminals at Tanger Med as its best-performing terminal. This is based on a number of parameters, such as safety, efficiency, customer satisfaction and cost.
“When compared to other ports in the world, Tanger Med creates a platform for a fantastic port,” argues Mr Pedersen.
He cites Tanger Med’s own Navigation Channel Optimisation System tool, which provides information to pilots about the sea conditions. “It allows us to bring in large container carriers as efficiently as possible,” he says, adding that over the course of some demanding years for the industry, “we did a good job [at Tanger Med] at keeping the business running and increasing our efficiency”.
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Industrial co-location
Elsewhere, many international investors are drawn to Tanger Med’s reputation for efficiency and its links to industry.
“More companies are also producing in Morocco to serve European and African markets,” says Dinesh Sharma, director at Drewry Maritime Advisors. “Tanger Med has a global network of services to ship products from Morocco to nearby as well as distant markets.”
UAE-based logistics company Aramex recently opened a 2500 square metre logistics warehouse for a first phase of development within the logistics zone.
Emad Mabrouk, general manager of Aramex in Morocco, says that the decision to open the warehouse in Tanger Med “reflects Aramex’s strategic vision and commitment to growth, efficiency, and enhanced customer service”.
He also cites the proximity to industrial zones as something difficult to find elsewhere.
“This co-location enables businesses to set up production and distribution facilities near the port, reducing lead times and enhancing supply chain efficiency. That’s a strategic advantage few logistics hubs can match,” he says.
The increased capacity of Tanger Med also spotlights Morocco on the world stage. Between the third quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2022, the deployed capacity of container ships in Morocco increased by 32.5%, “mostly driven by the ongoing development of Tanger Med”, according to Unctad’s Review of Maritime Transport 2022. This outstrips gains made by Panama or Jamaica.
This article is part of the Special Report:
Tanger Med's rise as a nearshoring hub