Morocco's Tangier port prepares for spike in traffic driven by Gulf crisis

The port of Tangier in northern Morocco is beefing up its capacity as the Gulf crisis drives more shipping traffic away from the Bab el-Mandeb strait and the Suez Canal.

Its managing director Idriss Aarabi said the port's priority was to prevent congestion.

Major shipping lines including Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM said this month they are rerouting vessels around the ​Cape of Good Hope on Africa's southern tip.

Located in northern Morocco on the Strait of Gibraltar, Tangier is a major stopping point for Europe-bound container ships.

In 2025, the port outperformed Mediterranean peers with 11.1 million containers ​handled, an 8.4% increase from 2024.

Ships have ‌been ⁠avoiding the Suez Canal and the Bab el-Mandeb Strait since late 2023, when Yemen's Houthi authorities announced a blockade of the Red Sea.

The closure of the strait of Hormuz following American and Israeli bombing of Iran has further kept shipping traffic away, with the instability benefiting African ports.

One of those ports is Kenya's Lamu which has become a major bunkering point for Dubai-bound cargo ships.

Kenyan authorities say Lamu is set to become Africa's leading deep-water transshipment hub.