CMA CGM Joins Marsa Maroc to Develop Transshipment Hub in Morocco

CMA CGM has agreed to take a 49% stake in the concession company that will develop and operate the West Container Terminal at Morocco’s Port of Nador West Med. 

This joins state-owned port operator Marsa Maroc in a joint venture that aims to position the new facility as a major western Mediterranean transshipment hub.

The partnership follows a framework accord between CMA CGM and the Tanger Med Group and formalises CMA Terminals’ entry into the project. 

Under the agreement, Marsa Maroc will retain a 51% holding in the concession company while CMA Terminals holds the remaining 49%, subject to approval from the competent authorities.

The terminal is designed to come progressively online from 2027 and, when complete, will offer around 900 metres of quay with an 18-metre draft, and a 37.5 hectare container yard within a 60 hectare site. It will have the capacity to handle up to 1.8 million TEU a year. 

The full fit‑out is expected to include eight ship‑to‑shore cranes intended to service ultra‑large containerships calling at the facility.

The development will relieve pressure on existing North African transshipment gateways and complement CMA CGM’s wider network in the western Mediterranean. 

Since the Red Sea disruptions and tighter EU carbon pricing and related regulatory measures have altered routing economics, carriers have increasingly diverted calls and relied on transhipment at North African hubs. Nador West Med is intended to capture some of that redirected volume and to serve as a feeder and transshipment node for Mediterranean and European markets.

Financial details disclosed by local reporting put the total investment for the port project at around €730 million, while Marsa Maroc had previously committed funds as part of the concession agreement. 

Planning for Nador West Med has received multilateral support. The project has previously attracted international financing interest, including from institutions such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, which has contributed tranches to earlier phases of port development and associated infrastructure.

CMA CGM’s involvement is intended to ensure the terminal can be integrated efficiently into global and regional service strings. The concession selection and the joint‑venture documentation remain subject to regulatory approvals and finalisation of commercial terms. 

If delivered to plan, Nador West Med’s West Container Terminal will increase Morocco’s transshipment capacity materially and provide a new large‑scale option for carriers seeking alternatives to more congested northern gateways in the western Mediterranean.

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