Maritime trade serves a very important role in Africa’s economy. Ports serve as gateways connecting the continent to global world markets. Currently, Africa has several ports in its coastline. But there are a few ports with their efficiency, capacity, and global relevance. Among them, there are two best-performing ports in Africa, namely Port of Durban in South Africa and the Port of Tanger Med in Morocco. These ports handle massive volumes of cargo and serve as strategic logistics hubs for regional and international trade.
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Port of Durban in South Africa
People can find the Port of Durban in South Africa, namely on the eastern coastline along the Indian Ocean. People may think of the Port of Durban as the busiest and most vital port in sub-Saharan Africa. Many call this port the Gateway to Southern Africa because it surrounds some landlocked countries in the region, namely Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, and Malawi.
The port is the largest and leading container port in Africa since it can handle about 2.9 million TEUs annually. It is a place for multiple container terminals, bulk cargo facilities, and liquid storage terminals to anchor.
Durban also handles diverse cargo covering a wide range of goods, such as containers, liquid bulk and dry bulk as well as automotive exports. The liquid bulk can be oil and other petroleum products while dry bulk can be coal and grains. The port is also a leading place for importing and exporting cars which has specialized terminals for the automotive industry.
Its other priority is that it has strong inland connectivity in terms of direct rail and road links. The channels connect Durban to Gauteng as South Africa’s industrial heartland. This area is a home to Johannesburg and Pretoria. The port also extends its coverage to other Southern African Development Community (SADC) countries.
The port supports several types of businesses. They are the automotive industry including South African-made vehicle exports and foreign brand imports; energy and chemicals including petroleum imports and chemical exports; agriculture such as grains, sugar, and citrus fruits shipped worldwide; mining – exports of coal and minerals from inland mines.
The Port of Durban serves a significant role to maintain its ability to connect Southern Africa with other areas such as Asia, Europe, and the Americas. It can be said to be the most developed port in the region. Then, it can ensure the connectivity of landlocked African area economies to international markets.
Port of Tanger Med in Morocco: Africa’s Leading Global Transshipment
Africa not only has Durban in its south area. On the northern tip of the continent, there is Port of Tanger Med overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The port can be Africa’s most sophisticated and rapidly growing port. Since its opening in 2007, the port has transformed Morocco into a global logistics port.
It also has the ability to handle massive container capacity over 7 million TEUs annually. This amount can surpass Durban capacity and is among the top 30 global ports. Heavy investment in container terminals support this growth.
It also has strategic location as positioned just 15 kilometers from Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar. By this strategic location, it can serve as a key transshipment port for vessels exploring many areas in Asia, Europe, Africa, and the Americas.
One of its strengths is by completion of advanced infrastructure. There are automated terminals and cutting-edge logistics systems including industrial and free trade zones. These supporting systems house factories from large companies including Renault, Stellantis, and Siemens.
Tanger Med also serves a variety of logistics. There are automotive logistics such as manufactured car exports in Morocco and their component imports; textiles and consumer goods which support Morocco’s manufacturing sector; electronics and machinery which have support from free trade zone industries; energy and bulk goods including oil and raw material imports.
This port has more roles than Durban. Tanger Med has a global role including in Europe and other international shipping lanes. So, it can create a competitive advantage in Africa transshipment ports.
Conclusion
Both ports, namely Port of Durban and Port of Tanger Med have global competitiveness by each leading different aspects. Together, they represent and create Africa’s growing role in global trade.
Both also support the economic growth of not only the country itself, but also Africa since there are many types of engaging industries. People can find automotive, agriculture, and energy businesses. All of which can drive job creation and investment.
Ports in Africa play an important role as key gateways for global trade, supporting the connection of global markets and regional economic growth. They operate diverse cargo and manufacturers, including oil, minerals, agricultural products, and other goods. Not only shipping, these ports provide complete services such as storage, customs clearance, and transshipment. In this modernization global world, African certainly plays their roles precisely.