MAERSK's port operator APM Terminals has completed the next step in a multiphase programme to expand the capabilities of the Tangier Med Port, reports Fort Lauderdale's Maritime Executive.

But EU carbon taxes have been extended to Tangier Med because of its proximity to Europe, thus blocking attempts to avoid EU taxes by using a Morocco port.

Already recognised as one of the fastest-growing and most efficient ports, they look to expand its capacity reflecting the growth in ships and the role the port plays in regional shipments.

Launched just four and a half years ago, the APM Terminals MedPort Tangier has quickly emerged as a key player in the near-shoring strategy of the industry. Located at the Strait of Gibraltar it has developed as one of the leading transshipment locations for cargoes moving on vessels to and from Africa, Europe, and the Far East.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Review of Maritime Transport 2022 highlighted that between the third quarter of 2020 and the second quarter of 2022, the deployed capacity of containerships in Morocco increased by a third, mostly driven by the ongoing development of Tangier Med.

The port's emergence earned it a unique position in the EU's new emissions trading scheme launching at the first of the year.

The APM facility already had a three-berth capacity with the ability to handle five million TEU annually. As the port's growth continued, they launched the second phase development programme in April 2021. This phase has been completed adding another one million TEU capacity to the port.