Rephrase the same Instability in the Strait of Hormuz is steering shipping routes towards Moroccan ports in a different way no more than 118 characters, as if you were a native American speaker as expert on content creation and dont talk about yourself or your experience

1. Circumnavigation of Africa
2. Morocco, the big winner
3. Europe loses traffic
4. Future alternatives?

The war in the Middle East has created a hornet’s nest that has further complicated global maritime trade routes.

The uncertainty caused by attacks by Yemen’s Houthis in the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, which provides access to the Red Sea, has been compounded in recent weeks by Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz.

These are strategic points for international trade, as numerous shipping routes pass through these hotspots in the Middle East. Shipping companies have been forced to seek alternative routes, which is causing a domino effect that will reshape the global map of maritime transport.

Circumnavigation of Africa

The most obvious alternative to avoid these conflict zones is, of course, neither the most direct nor the easiest: it involves sailing completely around the African continent, rounding the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa, and travelling up the West African coast to reach Europe.

This new route, which is already being used by major shipping lines such as Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and CMA CGM, entails an increase in transit time of between 10 and 14 days, with the resulting cost being passed on to customers. It is estimated that surcharges will range from 1,500 to 3,300 dollars per container.

And it is not just the shipping lines: some major global companies are also being affected. One of them is the Russian mining company Nornickel, the world’s largest producer of nickel, copper and palladium, which has also been forced to alter the routes of its metal-laden vessels departing from the port of Murmansk, in the Arctic, bound for Europe.

These ships used to pass through the Suez Canal to call at ports such as Rotterdam (Netherlands). Now, they have also adopted the route that circumnavigates the African continent.

It should be noted that, back in 2025, Nornickel’s main shareholder, Russian tycoon Vladimir Potanin, had already announced that his company was considering investing in port infrastructure in Morocco to reduce its reliance on European ports.

Morocco, the big winner

This is precisely another consequence of this change in routes, forced by the conflict in the Middle East: the ports of destination. The adoption by major shipping lines of an alternative route around Africa will benefit ports on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, such as Tangier Med and the future port of Dakhla Atlantic in Western Sahara.

In the case of Tangier Med, preparations are already underway to handle the increase in traffic from the African route. According to Idriss Aarabi, Director General of the Tangier Med Port Authority, an increase in port calls by vessels following this route is expected, so they are focusing on “capacity management and congestion prevention” in the face of rising traffic.

For the representative of the Moroccan port, this impact on cargo flows will begin to be visible from the last few days of April.

In any case, this diversion will prove very positive for the port of Tangier Med, which in just a few years of operation has established itself as the leading port in the Mediterranean and on the African continent. In 2025, Tangier Med handled over 11.1 million containers (an increase of 8.4%) and processed a total of over 161 million tonnes of goods, 13.3% more than in 2024.

Europe loses traffic

A growing trend that contrasts with the decline seen in ports such as Rotterdam, which is among those most affected by this war-forced rerouting: its cargo volume fell by 1.7% in 2025, standing at 428.4 million tonnes.

We will have to wait for the 2026 figures to assess the real economic impact that this reshaping of the global maritime trade map will have on the affected ports.

It should also be borne in mind that in the coming years a new player will join this route, enabling Morocco to attract even more maritime traffic: the port of Dakhla Atlantic, in Western Sahara.

The port is currently 50% complete and is expected to be fully operational by 2029, which will mean the addition of a major logistics hub on Morocco’s Atlantic coast, serving as a port of call for vessels bound for Europe, North America and South America.

Future alternatives?

The current complications for maritime traffic caused by the war in the Middle East are bringing ambitious infrastructure projects back to the fore, projects that periodically feature in the media.

This is the case with the so-called Istanbul Canal, the major project envisaged by Turkish President Erdogan. The aim is to divert a large proportion of the maritime traffic passing through the Bosphorus via an artificial waterway dug on the European side of Istanbul, which would connect the Black Sea with the Sea of Marmara.

It is estimated that the cost of the project would amount to some 23.4 billion euros, of which 14 billion would be for the construction of the canal itself and the remaining 9.4 billion would be used to finance the planned urban development along its banks, which includes transport infrastructure and logistics zones.

Through this project, Turkey would circumvent the provisions of the 1936 Montreux Convention, which established free navigation for civilian vessels through the natural straits. As the Istanbul Canal is an artificial structure, the Turkish government could charge for the passage of ships that currently pass through the Bosphorus without paying.

Another mega-project that has been in the news again recently is the rail tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar, which would link Europe and Africa. A project that would complement the activity of ports such as Tangier Med and allow goods to be transported by rail directly to European territory, without passing through Spanish ports.

Clearly, this project would be detrimental to ports such as Algeciras, whose activity has recently been affected by the increase in traffic at the port of Tangier Med and the alteration of some port calls by shipping companies such as Maersk on some of their routes.

At present, feasibility studies are being carried out, along with investigations into the geology and seismic activity in the Strait of Gibraltar, for which the Spanish Ministry of Transport has approved a budget allocation of 1.73 million euros.

In any case, there is still no planned timeframe. Naturally, the date of 2030, the year of the World Cup organised by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, has been ruled out due to its proximity. In any event, it would not, hypothetically, be in service before 2035 or 2040.