(MENAFN) The Moroccan port of Tangier Med has announced an extraordinary annual surge of 13.4 percent in container handling volumes for the year 2023. Despite the ongoing crisis in the Red Sea, where Iran-aligned Houthi forces in Yemen have been conducting attacks on ships since November, Tangier Med reported that its activities remained largely unaffected. The Red Sea serves as a crucial route for approximately 15 percent of global shipping traffic, and the Houthi attacks are purportedly aimed at pressuring Israel to cease its actions in Gaza.
Situated as the western gateway to the Mediterranean, Tangier Med disclosed in its annual data report that it successfully handled 8.61 million twenty-foot equivalent units in the year 2023. The comprehensive data further revealed that, in terms of volumes, the three ports under Tangier Med's jurisdiction facilitated the handling of 122 million tons during the same period, marking an impressive 13.6 percent increase. This notable performance positioned Tangier Med ahead of other ports in the Mediterranean region.
Lubna Ghaleb, a member of the Executive Council overseeing strategy for the port, addressed concerns about the potential impact of the Red Sea crisis on Tangier Med's operations. According to Ghaleb, the current trajectory of volume trends at Tangier Med and an analysis of services do not indicate a significant impact on container handling traffic volumes. She emphasized that shipping companies are actively taking measures to enhance the speed of their vessels, ensuring timely arrivals as part of their efforts to navigate and mitigate challenges posed by the crisis in the Red Sea.
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