The port of Tangier in northern Morocco is ramping up capacity as disruptions in global shipping lanes drive traffic away from the Bab el-Mandeb Strait and the Suez Canal.
Idriss Aarabi, managing director of Tangier Port, said preventing congestion is a top priority as international shipping patterns shift.
“Our focus is on ensuring smooth operations and avoiding bottlenecks as traffic increases,” he said.
Several major shipping lines, including Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd, and CMA CGM, have recently confirmed plans to reroute vessels around Africa’s southern tip via the Cape of Good Hope. Tangier, situated on the Strait of Gibraltar, has become a strategic stop for container ships bound for Europe.
In 2025, Tangier outperformed its Mediterranean peers, handling 11.1 million containers an 8.4% increase from 2024 demonstrating the port’s growing relevance amid regional instability.
Shipping disruptions date back to late 2023, when Yemen’s Houthi authorities imposed a blockade of the Red Sea, prompting vessels to avoid the Bab el-Mandeb Strait. The closure of the Strait of Hormuz following U.S. and Israeli military actions in Iran has further diverted traffic to safer African routes, benefiting ports along the continent.
Kenya’s deep-water port of Lamu is one such beneficiary, emerging as a major bunkering and transshipment hub for Dubai-bound cargo. Kenyan authorities project that Lamu is poised to become Africa’s leading deep-water transshipment center, offering an alternative to congested or unstable Middle Eastern routes.
As global shipping adjusts to geopolitical tensions, African ports like Tangier and Lamu are seizing the opportunity to cement their roles as strategic gateways for international trade.
