International port company APM Terminals has announced plans to develop a new container trans shipment terminal at the port city of Tangier in Morocco. It will cost the company around €758 million.

The new terminal will be built at the Tangier Med 2 complex. This is expected to have a capacity of around 5 million TEUs annually. It currently operates another Tangier Med 1 port that has been operational since July 2007.

The new terminal is expected to be operational from 2019 and will be operated under a 30 year concession agreement with the Tangier Med Special Agency (TMSA) that has overall responsibility for running the Tangier Med port complex.

According to APM, Maersk Line will be the crucial customer of the new terminal. The port will have over 2000 metres of quay length and increase the port’s total capacity to over 9 million TEUs annually. It will also use the same technology as the APM Terminals Maasvlakte II Rotterdam terminal that has been operational since last year.

APM Terminals CEO Kim Fejfer said: “APM Terminals has been in Morocco since the creation of our first company APM Terminals Tangier in March 2005 in partnership with AKWA Group and the start of port operations in July 2007.

“Today’s announcement shows our strong commitment to investing in trade and improving supply chains in the West Med market. Morocco and its port arm, TMSA, have been very supportive of APM Terminal’s vision for the West Med.”

The location of the Tangier and Algeciras facilities offer a natural transshipment location for cargoes moving on vessels to and from Africa from Europe and the Far East on the primary East/West shipping route through the Mediterranean Sea.

Around 200 cargo vessels pass through the Strait of Gibraltar daily on major liner services linking Asia, Europe, the Americas and Africa.