Tangier Med consolidates its position as the leading port in Africa in the Alphaliner world ranking
The port of Tanger Med has positioned itself as the leading port in the Mediterranean, the leading port in Africa and 17th in the world ranking, ahead of the port of Hamburg and behind Antwerp, according to the Alphaliner company, which ranks the world's top 100 seaports by the number of containers transported.
However, the Alphaliner list continues to be led by Asian ports, with six Chinese ports occupying the top eight spots. On the other hand, Europe only has two representatives among the top 30 ports: Rotterdam and Hamburg in 12th and 24th place respectively.
The port's strategic development has allowed container traffic figures to increase by 18.8% compared to the list drawn up by Alphaliner in 2023. In addition, the port has recorded a traffic of more than 10.24 million TEU containers.
This result has been possible thanks to the efforts of the moroccan administration and the optimisation of shipping stopovers, significantly reducing waiting times. It should be noted that there are still more than 800 metres of quays to be put into service, which would estimate the total number of containers at more than 12 million containers in 2025.
The magnitude of the results is such that the figures set by the Moroccan port of Tanger Med exceed the sum of the two main Spanish ports, Algeciras and Valencia, with 4.7 and 5.47 million respectively, which have been left out of the top 20 on the list. In terms of percentage growth, the port of Tanger Med was second only to the port of Los Angeles.
In recent years, the port has managed to increase its volume thanks to the 180 connections in more than 70 countries, and to the industrial environment that brings together more than 1,400 companies. Specifically, in the first three quarters of 2024, the Moroccan port grew by 19%, making it the port enclave with the best international operations performance. These figures earned it fourth place in the 2024 Container Port Performance Index (CPPI).
Tangier Med in figures
The year 2024 has been the best year for the port of Tanger Med thanks to the diversion of routes due to conflicts in the Red Sea. Tanger Med is a key point in the global trade routes linking Africa, with the capacity to handle more than nine million containers, mobilising more than seven million travellers and one million cars every year.
During the year, 516,842 lorries were managed under the ‘TIR (Transit International Routier) System’, a system by which goods are transported under customs seal, which represented an increase of 8.1% over the previous year. The traffic of TIR lorries transporting industrial products increased by 6.8% and that of lorries transporting agri-food products by 7.2%.
The port authority also handled more than 600,000 vehicles, which represents an increase of 4%. Of the total, 68% were cars manufactured in the industrial complexes of the Renault Group and 27% from the Stellantis factories in Kenitra. Through Tanger Med, 34,100 vehicles were transhipped and 27,410 vehicles were imported.
With regard to ships, 17,479 ships, 3.42% more, docked at Tanger Med in 2023, including 1,217 megaships, 13.74% more.
With regard to the goods transported, more than 7.64 million tonnes of heavy hydrocarbons (liquid bulk) and 585,000 tonnes of processed solids passed through the port. On the other hand, more than 3 million passengers passed through the port, 13% more than in 2023, and more than 142 million tonnes of goods were mobilised.
