The East Container Terminal of Nador West Med has completed the operational tests prior to its commissioning and is ready to receive and handle its first commercial calls. West Med Container Terminal (WMCT), the concessionaire of the facility, has conducted a trial call with which it has verified the joint operation of the equipment, systems, and procedures deployed over the last few months.
The trial has allowed verifying the coordination between the different areas of the terminal before the start of commercial activity. According to information provided by WMCT, the preparation included the completion of the necessary facilities for operations, the receipt and installation of port equipment, the deployment of management systems, and the implementation of work procedures, in addition to the hiring and training of personnel.
The company assures that these actions have been completed ahead of the initially scheduled calendar and that the result of the trial call confirms the facility's capacity to handle container ships of the largest dimensions currently in service. The announcement puts the East Terminal in the phase immediately preceding the start of the first commercial calls, although WMCT has not yet communicated what maritime service or what vessel will perform the first regular operation.
West Med Container Terminal is controlled by Marsa Maroc, which owns 50% of the capital plus one share, while Terminal Investment Limited (TIL), a subsidiary of the MSC group specializing in the operation of container terminals, holds 50% minus one share. TIL's entry into the capital of WMCT was formalized in January 2026 after obtaining the corresponding authorizations.
The East Terminal has a project of 1,520 linear meters of wharf, a draft of 18 meters, and approximately 70 hectares of yards. When all its phases are completed, it is designed to reach a capacity of 3.4 million TEUs annually. Marsa Maroc had established the entry into service of the first phase of the facility for the last quarter of 2026.
The equipment process has developed over the last few months. WMCT initially received three STS Super Post-Panamax cranes supplied by ZPMC and later incorporated two more STS units and eight RTG yard cranes, as part of the program prior to the start of operations. Marsa Maroc linked these additions to the preparation of the terminal for its commissioning during the last quarter of the year.