Rabat – Morocco’s largest port, Tangier Med, signed a partnership agreement with Germany’s Hamburg Port to exchange experiences and good practices in terms of security and digitalization, among other areas.
The Moroccan-German agreement aims to facilitate the exchange of expertise in maritime port operations, traffic management, port cybersecurity, and innovation, according to a joint press release.
The online signing of the agreement took place on October 27, during which Mehdi Tazi Riffi, managing director of Tangier Med Port, said his administration is “delighted” to start the cooperation bringing the two leading ports together.
Spreading over an area of 1,000 hectares, Financial Times’ FDI Intelligence announced Tangier Med Port as the second-leading “global free zone” in 2020. The port came fifth last year in the same ranking.
CEO of Hamburg Port Authority Jens Meier said during the virtual signing ceremony that Hamburg Port and Tangier Med Port occupy outstanding positions in their regions, emphasizing the “strong” upcoming exchange of experience in terms of digitalization and cybersecurity.
In 2019, Hamburg Port handled 1.3 million tonnes of cargo in seaborne trade with Morocco.
Tangier Med serves not only as a port but also as a large industrial zone, including for the aeronautics and automotive sectors. Its strategic location on Morocco’s northern coast makes it Europe’s portal to Africa for investment.
A leading port in both Africa and the Mediterranean, Tangier Med is connected to more than 180 ports worldwide and exports one million new vehicles per year via the Renault-Nissan plant.
Despite the negative economic repercussions of the COVID-19 crisis, Tangier Med Port recorded positive economic indicators in the first half of 2020.
The overall turnover of the port reached $127 million at the end of June 2020, marking a growth of 2% compared to the same period in 2019.
