Africa’s first automated container to be constructed in Morocco
A Belgian conglomerate will construct Africa’s first automated container terminal in Africa at Tangier MedPort, according to an announcement by APM Terminals – the Dutch company charged by the Moroccan government of overseeing large sections of the coastal area’s trade capacity development.
Aswebo, Aannemingen Van Wellen, Franki Construct and Cosimco – all under the Willemen Group banner – will build the project, which was finalized during King Mohammed VI’s visit to The Netherlands in March.
APM has invested 758 million euros in the upgrade, which will increase the profitability of the 30-year lease it holds on the Tangier Med 2 port complex.
The 53-hectare facility is scheduled to become operational in 2019, providing quicker access to products and markets on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar.
“To win this enormous project, a team of 35 people, spread across multiple companies within the group worked together on this project for four months,” said company president Johan Willeman, who also led the construction of a major port in the Belgian city of Antwerp. “The complementarity of the different companies of the Willemen Group and the experience we have accumulated in port works, were crucial factors for the Employer APM Terminals to entrust the entire project to our group.”
On November 7th, the group signed an agreement to construct the project – including all road and sewage works, a 1,200-meter crane beam, all utilities and a gas station – within a 662 calendar day period ending on September 1st, 2018.
Cosmico has completed two projects in the Tangier port to date and another will wrap up construction soon, the company, which has been active in Morocco since 2014, says. “This new container terminal for APM Terminals is not the first project in Africa for our group, but it is by far the largest,” Willeman said.
