Morocco’s ports handled 262.6 million tons of cargo in 2025, marking an 8.9 percent increase over the previous year, the Ministry of Equipment and Water reported Thursday. The growth underscores the country’s expanding role as a regional maritime hub, with Tanger Med confirming its status as a key logistics gateway connecting Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean.
Domestic port traffic reached 130 million tons, up 3.5 percent from 2024, while transshipment volumes surged 14.7 percent to 132.6 million tons, now representing 50.5 percent of total port activity. Imports accounted for 29.6 percent, exports 15.7 percent, cabotage 3.6 percent, and bunkering 0.6 percent.
Tanger Med, Morocco’s flagship container port, handled 128.7 million tons of transshipped cargo, up 14.4 percent year-on-year. Container throughput reached 10.3 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEUs), a 7.9 percent increase over 2024. “Tanger Med continues to play a central role as a Mediterranean logistics hub,” the Ministry said.
Imports totaled 77.6 million tons, a 2.8 percent rise. Key commodities included hydrocarbons at 13.4 million tons (+3.9 percent), coal 10.4 million tons (+7.3 percent), containers 13.5 million tons (+14.6 percent), road transport 6.9 million tons (+7 percent), cereals 10.1 million tons (-4.5 percent), and sulfur 6.7 million tons (-18.2 percent).
Exports reached 41.3 million tons, up 1.4 percent from 2024. Raw phosphate shipments increased 4 percent to 6.8 million tons, containers 6.3 million tons (+10.4 percent), road transport 6.5 million tons (+5.2 percent), while sulfuric acid fell 24.2 percent to 1.5 million tons, phosphoric acid declined 17.1 percent to 2.6 million tons, and fertilizers slipped 0.9 percent to 12 million tons.
Cabotage traffic between Moroccan ports rose sharply by 24.3 percent to 9.3 million tons, driven primarily by hydrocarbons (+41 percent) and phosphoric acid (+318.5 percent). Bunkering activity, concentrated at Tanger Med, decreased 4.2 percent to 1.7 million tons.
Vehicle traffic fell 5.8 percent to 662,990 units, with approximately 70 percent destined for export markets. Passenger traffic grew 5.4 percent to 5,585,310, with ports in the Strait of Gibraltar, Tanger Med, and Tanger Ville handling more than 84 percent of passengers. Cruise activity saw a notable surge, welcoming 383,231 travelers, up 41.7 percent from 2024.
Landings of coastal and artisanal fishing products declined 15.2 percent to 1.13 million tons, while commercial vessel calls fell slightly by 2.6 percent to 28,664.
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The report highlights that three major ports Tanger Med, Jorf Lasfar, and Casablanca accounted for 232 million tons of traffic, nearly 88 percent of Morocco’s total port throughput. These figures reflect Morocco’s growing prominence as a strategic maritime hub linking Africa, Europe, and the Mediterranean.
Analysts say the growth in transshipment and container traffic demonstrates the country’s ability to attract global shipping lines and strengthen its position in international logistics networks. Tanger Med’s capacity expansion and strategic location near the Strait of Gibraltar are key drivers in this trend, allowing Morocco to serve as a gateway for trade flows between Europe, North Africa, and sub-Saharan Africa.
The Ministry of Equipment and Water said the performance underscores the resilience of Morocco’s maritime infrastructure and highlights the ports’ capacity to adapt to evolving trade patterns. Investments in port modernization, digitalization, and logistics services are expected to further bolster the sector’s competitiveness in the coming years.
