Nador West Med inaugurates its first container terminal in Morocco
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Morocco's Crown Prince, Moulay El Hassan, inaugurated on October 31, 2026 the first container terminal at the port of Nador West Med, the East terminal, located in the municipality of Iaâzzanène, in Nador province. The ceremony, held on instructions from King Mohammed VI, included the discharge of the first container from a commercial vessel.
Terminal features
The facility has 1,520 meters of quay, an 18-meter draft and 70 hectares of yard space, with a projected capacity of 3.5 million containers by 2030. Its operation and maintenance, for a 25-year period, is handled by West Med Container Terminal, a company formed by Marsa Maroc and Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), a subsidiary of MSC, which according to Port Technology holds a 50% plus one share stake for Marsa Maroc and 50% minus one share for TIL. Investment in this terminal is around 5 billion dirhams, roughly $510 million according to the same outlet.
Statements at the inauguration
During the event, Diego Aponte, CEO of the MSC Group and of Terminal Investment Limited, noted that the terminal will be able to receive container ships of up to 24,000 TEU and described the start of operations as an important milestone for the group's presence at the new Moroccan complex. The general manager of Nador West Med, Mohamed Jamal Benjelloun, stated that the complex will be a driver of economic and social development for Morocco's Oriental region.
A second terminal on the way
The port will add a second container terminal, the West terminal, which will be operated by Marsa Maroc together with CMA CGM, with 900 meters of quay, 38 hectares of yard space and a capacity of 1.8 million TEU, scheduled to open in April 2027. According to Port Technology, investment in this terminal is around 3 billion dirhams ($305 million) and, once operational, will bring the port's total container capacity to 5.3 million TEU. Info Puertos notes that the shareholding structure of that terminal is 51% for Marsa Maroc and 49% for CMA Terminals.
An industrial and energy complex
Nador West Med also includes bulk cargo, general cargo, hydrocarbons, liquefied natural gas and ro-ro terminals, together with a 700-hectare industrial and logistics platform, and has mobilized public and private investment of 54 billion dirhams, about $5.5 billion according to Port Technology. The creation of 14,000 direct jobs and 20,000 indirect jobs is expected in the short term. Info Puertos reports that the LNG regasification terminal project was suspended in early 2026 with no new timeline announced.
