Tanger Med has moved ahead of Los Angeles to become the world’s 16th busiest container port. The port handled 11.1 million containers in 2025, an 8.4% increase from the previous year, according to the latest Lloyd’s List ranking. Tanger Med was 17th in the previous ranking, just behind Los Angeles. It is now one place ahead of the US port, which has fallen to 18th.
The 2025 figure also marks the first time Tanger Med has handled more than 11 million TEUs, a standard measure for container traffic.
Tanger Med now sits between Xiamen in China, ranked 15th, and Laem Chabang in Thailand, ranked 17th.
The gap with other major Mediterranean ports is also growing. Valencia is ranked 40th, Algeciras 46th and Barcelona 60th.
Tanger Med remains the busiest container port in Africa and the Mediterranean based on the number of containers handled.
Its strong container figures are separate from the global port performance ranking, which measures how quickly and efficiently ships are handled. Tanger Med ranked sixth worldwide in that index.
Asian ports continue to dominate the Lloyd’s List ranking. Shanghai is first with more than 55 million TEUs, followed by Singapore and Ningbo-Zhoushan.
Rotterdam is the highest-ranked European port at 12th, followed by Antwerp-Bruges at 13th.
The wider Tanger Med complex handled 161 million tonnes of cargo in 2025, up 13.3% from 2024. It also handled 535,203 trucks, 3.2 million passengers and 895,341 vehicles.
The port recorded 16,686 ship calls during the year. That included 1,319 large ships measuring more than 290 metres.
Tanger Med has four container terminals. The latest expansion at MedPort Tangier has taken the facility’s total capacity to 5.2 million TEUs.
The port sits on the Strait of Gibraltar, close to major shipping routes between Asia, Europe and the Americas. It can handle ships with drafts of up to 18 metres.
A second major port project is also taking shape on the Mediterranean coast. Nador West Med is being developed as a deep-water port and industrial hub, following a similar model to Tanger Med.
