São Paulo – Morocco’s Tanger Med port handled 3 million TEUs in 2014 through this Tuesday (23rd). TEU is the unit equivalent to a twenty foot container. The volume is up 20% from 2013. The information was released by the port’s manager, the Tangier Mediterranean Special Agency.<\/p>\n
In 2014, 2,100 container ships docked at Tanger Med – 800 at the APMT terminal and 1,300 at the Eurogate terminal, respectively up 11% and 34%. The two terminals combined span 40 hectares, with 800 metres of quay and 16 cranes.<\/p>\n
Currently, operational capacity at the port in Tangiers is exactly 3 million containers, but expansion works are underway for two new terminals to add capacity for a further five million containers, driving total capacity up to eight million. The next terminal due for completion is set to begin operating in 2015.<\/p>\n
Tanger Med has links to 127 ports in 57 countries, including eleven ports in Latin America, seven of which are in Brazil: Itapoá, Navegantes, Rio de Janeiro, Santos, Paranaguá, Rio Grande and Suape. Of all containers handled at the Moroccan facility, 97% are exported and 3% are meant for domestic consumption. <\/p>\n
The Tanger Med company, which lends its name to the port, and the National Ports Agency have a project to build a new container port in Morocco’s Nador city, a few kilometres away from the border with Algeria. The plan came up three years ago, but development is yet to begin. <\/p>\n
*Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/strong><\/p>\n