Tanger-Med port construction works half way of completion

The Tanger-Med port construction works are half way of completion and the port could be operational by the second semester of 2007, said President of the executive board of the Tanger-Med Special Agency (TMSA), Said El Hadi.

El Hadi told a visiting MP delegation, at the new port building site, he was satisfied at the pace of works of the facility that is part of the overture policy initiated by Morocco to energise its economy and enhance competitiveness.

The Tanger-Med port, built 35 kilometres east of the Northern town of Tangier, covers a 500 square kilometres area and employs 145,000 people. The port was decided for to boost local economic activity, notably by receiving and shipping containers transitting through the Gibraltar strait from or to Europe and other continents.

The new port is to host a container terminal and a quay line of 1,610 metres, a road terminal for the boarding of passengers and vehicles, a terminal for miscellaneous products and an oil terminal.

Three duty free zones will also be built within the port, including and industrial zone covering 600 hectares (HA), a trade zone of 200 HA and another free duty zone of 130 HA.