Morocco's two major deepwater port projects now have clearer timelines, with Nador West Med set to open in 2026 and the Dakhla Atlantic Port in 2028, Equipment and Water Minister Nizar Baraka told Reuters. Nador West Med, on the Mediterranean coast, is slated to become operational in the second half of 2026, Baraka announced. The port will start with 800 hectares of industrial zones, eventually expanding to 5,000 hectares, surpassing Tanger Med. It will also host Morocco's first LNG terminal, a floating storage and regasification unit connected by pipeline to key industrial regions in the northwest, reinforcing the country's push toward natural gas and renewables. On the Atlantic side, the $1 billion Dakhla port, located in the southern provinces, remains on track for completion in 2028. With a depth of 23 meters, it will be Morocco's deepest port, designed to support heavy industries and process raw materials from Sahel countries. The site will include 1,600 hectares for industrial activities and 5,200 hectares of farmland irrigated with desalinated water. Both Nador and Dakhla ports will feature quays specifically designed for green hydrogen exports, aligning with Morocco's ambitions in the global clean-energy transition. Once operational, they will become the country's third and fourth deepwater ports after Tanger Med and Jorf Lasfar. Baraka added that Morocco is also studying the possibility of a new port in Tan-Tan, in collaboration with green-hydrogen investors, with ongoing assessments to determine the project's scale. The Tanger Med industrial zones already host 1,400 companies employing 130,000 people in automotive, aerospace, textiles, agri-food, and renewable energy, a development model Morocco seeks to replicate as it accelerates its port expansion strategy.
