Medport Tangier which has seen a surge in volumes as vessels rerouted away from the Eastern Mediterranean and the Red Sea is preparing for its next growth as APM Terminals completed a multi-year project. It expects to further ramp up operations in 2025 with the launch of the new Gemini Cooperation between Maersk and Hapag-Lloyd.
The company operates two terminals in Morocco. With the launch of the new operation, the terminals including Medprot Tangier as set to serve as hub-ports of the new network and its east-west trade routes. One of the hallmarks that the carriers are promoting for the new cooperation is on-schedule performance where port efficiency will be critical.
"The expansion not only gives us more capacity — it also brings with it advanced technology that helps us reduce port hours, improve the productivity of our cranes, and reduce direct emissions from vessels by using shore power deployed by the port authority,” said Keld Pedersen, Managing Director at APM Terminals West Med. “This is not only important for our global strategy, but also for the impact we can create for both customers and the communities and employees in and around the terminal."
APM Terminals, Maersk’s terminal operator, reports that the final phase of the expansion at Medport Tangier opened this month with the addition of a further 1 million TEU of capacity. With this expansion, the terminal now has a capacity of 5.2 million TEU annually and an expanded berth over 6,500 feet in length. Beyond an additional 1,300 feet on the berth, the terminal added 18 hectares with seven additional container stacks.
The second phase of the expansion completed a year ago in December 2023, focused on the introduction of new technologies and additional space for the operation. Included in the expansion were 14 electric automated rail-mounted gantry cranes and 11 semi-automated hybrid shuttle carriers. The four new remote-controlled ship-to-shore cranes are among the largest in the world with an 82-meter (269-foot) reach meaning they can handle vessels with a 26-container width or up to 24,000 TEU capacity.
The terminal also installed an innovative auto-mooring system that uses vacuum pads that reduce the time taken by vessels to moor and release. APM estimates idle times will be reduced to around 15 minutes at both arrival and departure, saving a total of around one hour of idle time. It will also reduce tug operations in port with the supplier Cavotec estimating a reduction in direct emissions during ship berthing by more than 90 percent due to the reduced use of tugs and ship engines.
Once ships are moored, active hydraulics significantly reduce vessel motion, thereby positively impacting the terminals’ crane moves per hour. APM Terminals MedPort Tangier regularly achieves productivity levels above 34 crane moves per hour on larger vessels. As a result of improved efficiency due to the auto-mooring system, average vessel call times are expected to be further reduced.
With the completion of the multi-year program, APM reports the terminal is ramping up operations for 2025 and the launch of the new carrier network. Maersk has previously said it expects the disruptions in the Red Sea will continue and the new cooperation detailed routes that will launch in 2025 which will continue to make the ports in Morocco and key hub feeding into the ports of the Mediterranean.
