CMA CGM and Marsa Maroc Join Forces in a Joint Venture

The CMA CGM Group, a global leader in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions, signed today with Marsa Maroc, a national leader in port terminal management, a joint venture agreement to equip and operate for 25 years a 750-meter section of quay and 35 hectares of yard within the Nador West Med container terminal.
 
This joint venture, in which CMA CGM and Marsa Maroc will hold 49% and 51% respectively, will equip and operate 50% of the Nador West Med container terminal, i.e. 35 hectares of container yard and 750 meters of quay with a maximum draught of 18 meters. Already present in Morocco in the Eurogate Tangiers and Casablanca container terminals (via SOMAPORT), the CMA CGM Group is pursuing with this strategic and operational agreement its development as a major player in the country's supply chain. Within the framework of a 25-year sub-concession, the CMA CGM Group and Marsa Maroc will make major investments totaling $280 million, with the aim of achieving an annual terminal output of 1.2 million TEUs.
 
Capable of handling the world's largest container ships with a maximum draught of 18 meters, the terminal will eventually be equipped with 8 transshipment cranes, compared with 6 at present, and 24 electric RTGs, compared with 15 at present. Ideally located in the strategic Gibraltar zone, in the Bay of Betoya, on the Oued Kert estuary, the port of “Nador West Med” has significant assets to complement the CMA CGM Group's terminals in the strategic Western Mediterranean zone.

Thanks to Morocco's green hydrogen production sector, “Nador West Med” is also destined to become a maritime bunkering hub for new synthetic energies in the Mediterranean (e-methane and e-methanol), notably for the CMA CGM Group's fleet of dual-fuel gas and methanol vessels. Rodolphe Saadé, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the CMA CGM Group, said: “Morocco is positioning itself as a strategic logistics and port hub with strong growth potential. The partnership we are entering into with Marsa Maroc marks a key step for the CMA CGM Group, strengthening our presence through the Nador West Med container terminal. Our ambition is to support the country's development, particularly in the forward-looking sectors of logistics and alternative energies.” 

< Korea Shipping Gazette >