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The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) has approved a €57 million (US$59.3 million) investment to support the ongoing construction of the Nador West Med Port in Morocco. That is in addition to the €113 million (US $117.7 million) approved by the bank in 2015. The total project cost is €893.33 million (US$930.8 million).

Nador is a mega port in Morocco set for completion by the end of 2022, with the port platform in the northeast of Morocco off the Mediterranean coast. The project will have all port facilities and the support of the commercial, industrial, logistic and tertiary centres. It will cover a 1,500-hectare surface area in the free zone.

Construction is in several modules. It will include:

1. A 4,200-metre-long main breakwater.
2. A 1,200-metre-long secondary breakwater.
3. A hydrocarbon products terminal with three oil-tanker berths, each 110-metre long.
4. Two container terminals with a 1,520-metre-long quay and an option for an additional 1,440 metres.
5. Specialized bulk cargo berth for vessels with a 260-metre-long quay.
6. A general cargo terminal with a 320-metre-long quay.
7. A berth for roll-on/roll-off ships.
8. A 384-metre-long service quay.
9. 152 hectares of backup space.
10. Oil and chemical tankers, each of which will carry 170,000 tons.

The project is in line with the development of Morocco’s National Transport Sector and Logistics Development Strategy. The aim is to fight regional disparities by creating jobs to speed up the western Mediterranean region’s socio-economic development. It will also contribute to increasing Morocco’s port services in the region and use its geostrategic position in the Strait of Gibraltar to increase global maritime activity.

Port Nador West Med
14/02/2022 https://t.co/pXM0vyxejx pic.twitter.com/Ea3ZUvL9Gg

— KaMaL (@nortonsig) February 15, 2022

Mohamed El Azizi, African Development Bank Group Director General, North Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office, said, “The construction of this new deep-water port infrastructure at the crossroads of major container and hydrocarbon transport routes consolidates the presence of the Kingdom of Morocco in the world's sea lanes. It will enhance the attractiveness of Morocco’s Oriental region and be a major accelerator for development and regional integration.”

Top Photo: Ongoing construction at the Nador Port (kasktas.com.tr)