DR ‹ › Idriss Aarabi, managing director of Tanger Med Port, Africa's largest container port, said on Monday that Morocco is preparing to handle an increasing number of vessels as rising tensions in the Middle East force shipping companies to reroute their services around Africa. Major global carriers, including Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and CMA CGM, have announced this month that they are diverting vessels via the Cape of Good Hope. In an email to Reuters, Aarabi said the rerouting is expected to add between 10 and 14 days to transit times for ships traveling via the Cape to reach Tanger Med. Global maritime trade has faced unprecedented disruption since early March 2026, after Iran closed the Strait of Hormuz in response to the U.S.-Israeli war against it.
