Morocco’s leading port operator Marsa Maroc has inked a 25-year concession agreement with Nador West Med (NWM) for its Western Terminal, according to a press release (pdf). Marsa Maroc will invest EUR 280 mn in developing the project’s first phase, which is slated to be operational by 2027.

The specs: The new terminal — which will extend over an area of 60 hectares — will be divided into two sections — a 900-meter section for container handling and a 540-meter section for general activity. It will have a 1.4k-meter quay at a depth of 18 meters and will be equipped with eight ship-to-shore cranes, 24 rubber-tyred gantry cranes, and four mobile cranes.

Turbocharging capacity: The new terminal is set to boost the port’s container handling capacity to 9 mn TEUs, with almost 7 mn TEUs dedicated to container transshipment, the statement adds.

They started with the east: The port operator inked a 25-year concession agreement for the NWM Eastern Container Terminal back in June 2024 in a EUR 200 mn investment for the project’s first phase. The port operator splitownership of the terminal with MSC subsidiary Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) last week, a move that is still pending regulatory approval.

On the up and up: Marsa Maroc obtained a license back in January to establish its subsidiary Marsa Maroc International Logistics to manage investments and operate new ports in East and West Africa. The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is extending a EUR 65 mn loan to Moroccan port operator Marsa Maroc for development works at Casablanca and Jorf Lasfar ports. Marsa Maroc currently manages 25 terminals across 11 ports and handles over 60 mn tons of cargo per year.

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