Libya Italian-Swiss MSC invests in the port of Misrata
The Italian-Swiss shipping company MSC is investing in the modernization of the port of Misrata in Libya. An agreement to this effect was signed on Sunday.
18.01.2026, 21:36
SDA
According to a press release from the Free Zone Authority of Misrata (MFZ), the partnership agreement provides for investments of 2.7 billion dollars in the modernization and expansion of the large port in western Libya.
The port of Misrata is the country's most important non-oil terminal and handles around 60 to 65 percent of container traffic. The aim is to increase the port's handling capacity to four million containers per year.
According to the Libyan Prime Minister's office, 8400 direct and 62,000 indirect jobs are to be created. The annual operating income is expected to amount to 600 million dollars.
First public-private infrastructure project
The agreement was signed in Misrata in the presence of Libyan Prime Minister Abdelhamid Dbeibah, his Dbeibah, his Qatari counterpart Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani and Italian Deputy Prime Minister Antonio Tajani.
The MFZ oversees "the country's first and largest free zone", which was created in 2000 on an area of 2576 hectares and can be expanded to up to 20,000 hectares. In addition to MFZ, the Qatari fund Maha Capital Partners and the port operator Terminal Investment Limited (TIL) of the shipping giant MSC are involved in the modernization project.
This is the first major public-private infrastructure project outside of the energy sector in Libya. The aim is to "transform the port of Misrata into a modern, efficient and high-capacity infrastructure," the companies involved announced in a joint statement.
