Morocco is advancing two major deepwater port projects to boost its role in global trade, reports Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.

The Ministry of Equipment and Water said Nador West Med on the Mediterranean coast is ready and could open by late 2026. The port is designed as a transshipment hub with initial capacity of 1.8 million TEU, rising to 5.5 million TEU in later phases.

Nador West Med aims to rival European ports including Algeciras and Valencia. Concessions have been awarded, with Marsa Maroc and CMA Terminals taking the West Terminal, while MSC Group's Terminal Investment Limited will run the second container terminal.

The port lies close to East-West shipping routes and includes a free industrial zone of 800 hectares, expandable to 5,000 hectares. It will also host Morocco's first LNG terminal, with a floating storage and regasification unit linked to industrial centres in the northwest.

Further south, Morocco is building a US$1 billion port at Dakhla on the Atlantic coast, due in 2028. The facility will be the country's deepest at 23 metres, with 1,600 hectares for industry and 5,200 hectares of farmland irrigated by desalinated water.

Both Nador and Dakhla will have quays for exporting green hydrogen once production begins, underscoring Morocco's renewable energy drive. The projects follow Tanger Med's success, which by 2024 supported 1,400 firms across multiple sectors.