The proposed development covers an additional 160,000 square metres and represents a planned investment of €150 million ($177 million).

This expansion will enable the terminal to increase its annual throughput by up to 500,000 TEU, raising its total handling capacity to 2.1 million TEU.

The investment will also extend the terminal’s concession period until 2065, reinforcing the company’s long-term commitment to the port.

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Since welcoming its first vessel on 5 May 2010 and becoming the first semi-automated terminal in the Mediterranean and Southern Europe, TTI Algeciras has handled nearly 18 million TEU, a milestone expected to be surpassed this year.

This growth has helped establish the Port of Algeciras as a leading transhipment hub in Southern Europe and a vital gateway for import and export flows across mainland Spain.

Situated on the European shore of the Strait of Gibraltar, TTI Algeciras is a strategic terminal for its main shareholders: South Korean shipping line HMM (holding 50 per cent plus one share) and, since February 2021, the CMA CGM Group (holding 50 per cent minus one share), a global player in sea, land, air, and logistics solutions.

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CMA CGM is also historically a major customer of the terminal.

Each week, TTI Algeciras receives some of the world’s largest container vessels, including the HMM Algeciras (23,964 TEU) and CMA CGM’s 23,000 TEU LNG-powered ships, such as the CMA CGM Jacques Saadé.

Alonso Luque, CEO of TTI Algeciras, commented: “This expansion is the natural evolution of more than a decade of steady growth with operational and commercial excellence.

“The project not only adds much-needed physical capacity but also positions us to take on new service opportunities and larger vessels, while maintaining the flexibility and efficiency that have defined our terminal from the beginning.”

Earlier in April, the Port of Algeciras marked a milestone as the site of Axpo’s first LNG ship-to-ship delivery, expanding the Swiss energy producer’s bunkering operations to a second Spanish port. During the operation, the 7,500-cubic-metre (cbm) vessel Avenir Aspiration supplied approximately 5,000 cbm of LNG to the MSC Mariacristina.