Tangier Med Port
By Kaoutar Dribki
The Tangier-Med Port is the Tangier-Mediterranean project that is a strategic priority for the economic and social development of the North Morocco region. It is part of the economic policy orienting Morocco towards exports, based on eight clearly identified export sectors, with particular emphasis on the free trade agreement with the European Union to be implemented between 2000 and 2012 .
Completion of the Tangier-Med Port will have important economic effects in terms of jobs but it will face a lot of challenges because of the infrastructures, the partnership,the geographical area, and natural sources
Tangier-Med Port Major Shipping lines:
Its particular position on the Straits of Gibraltar, at the crossing of two major maritime routes, and 15km from the European Union will enable it to serve a market of hundreds of millions of consumers through the industrial and commercial free zones which will be run by well-known private operators.
Regular services are owned by various ship owners out of Tangier med to over 50 ports in Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. This port serves as a gateway between Europe and Africa as sail tie across the stars does not exceed 45 mn .
Cutting Edge: Infrastructure & Equipment: The tangier med draft is intended to accommodate the world’s largest container ships. The port’s facilities and skilled workforce guarantee one of the highest container handling productivity levels with up to 5,000 containers per vessel per day.
Customs and Tariff
Advantages of the statute of free zone The installation in the industrial free zones and logistics of the complex Tangier Med confers to the operators exceptional advantages which reinforce their competitiveness with export:
An advantageous customs regulation - Unlimited exemption of the customs duties - Simplified customs procedures A gravitational tax mode - Exemption of the tax of license during 15 years - Exemption of the urban tax during 15 years -Unlimited exemption of the VAT -Corporation tax: 0% over the first 5 years; 8.75% over the 20 following years A mode of exchanges facilitated - No restriction as regards repatriation of capital and convertibility Transactions in free foreign currencies in free zone. Any modification of the regulation is prone to a 20 years notice.
Government Restrictions & Expenses:
Government officials acknowledge there are critical issues to be addressed but argue that roads and railways are being built to support the Tangier-Med Port, with a new urban centre planned near the investment zone and 200,000 housing units in Tangier.
Horizon Tangiers Terminals (HTTSA), a part of the Horizon Group, is starting construction of a strategic bulk oil storage facility at the new Tangiers Mediterranean port of Morocco. Today, HTL announced it has awarded the EPC construction contract to the construction division of Bateman Lit win, a leading provider of innovative turnkey solutions for the global oil and gas sector.
The 90-Million-Euro terminal, to be built in two phases, will ensure a steady supply of bunker products to vessels calling at the Tangier Med port and will provide an important route for diesel and petrol for the Moroccan market. Phase 1, costing approximately 70 Million Euros, will consist of 370,000 cubic meters of storage and is expected to be completed by mid-2009.
"To meet projected demand, we are also looking at an immediate expansion to reach 500,000 cubic meters of storage at an additional investment of about 20 Million Euros” (By Saied Khoory, ENOC Group Chief Executive from La Marine Marchande)Horizon Tangiers Terminal, a consortium of Horizon Terminals Limited, an ENOC subsidiary, Kuwait-based Independent Petroleum Group (IPG) and Morocco’s Afriquia SMDC, were awarded the concession to build and operate the bulk fuels terminal by the Tangier Mediterranean Special Agency (TMSA) in 2006.
"With its strategic location at the entrance to the Mediterranean and excellent connections to Europe, Tangier Med port is set to emerge as a major bunkering hub and refueling port in the global ship movement. HTTL will help position Tangier Med as the logistics hub for Europe and will provide cheaper fuel to North Morocco"(Yusr Sultan, CEO of the Horizon Group).
To back its plans, the government is investing about €2bn in the port, the zones and associated highways and railways. It is hoped construction of Tangier Med Port II will begin at the end of this year, opening in 2012 and reaching full capacity in 2015. With an overall capacity of 8.5m ton, it would be the largest port in the Mediterranean, according to officials.
Intermodal Capabilities:
Much more than a seaport, Tanger med port platform includes available secured land reserves of 12,500 acres dedicated to processing zones connected to intermodal networks (rail, motorways and express lanes,) thus linking the port to the Kingdom’s main cities and centers.
Exceptional capacities:
The capacity of Tangier-Med Port includes 8 million containers-7 million passengers-10 million tons of hydrocarbons-2 million vehicules-700 000 Trucks: the current expansion plans undertaken by Tangier-Med Port will enable it to reach by 2015a processing capacity of over 8 million containers,7 million passengers 700 000 …
Tangier Med port is a port bearing a capacity of 3 million containers, which will be carried to 8 millions on the horizon of 2016, the port Tangier Med, conceived the last generations of ships that carry containers, is at the same time a platform intended for the world activity of transshipment and a front door on Morocco allowing to welcome the traffics bound to the activities of import-export.
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