algerianow

Annaba Phosphate Port Races Towards Tebboune's March 2027 Export Deadline

5 November 2026 · Algeria Now

Algeria's new phosphate terminal at Annaba, the eastern port meant to carry a major new mineral export route, is entering its decisive phase. The Ministry of Public Works and Infrastructure reported on Wednesday that foundation, backfill and dredging work is well advanced, with President Abdelmadjid Tebboune having ordered the first shipments of enriched phosphate no later than March 2027.

The mining quay will cover 82 hectares. According to the ministry, 1,092 of the 1,322 planned piles have been driven, at a pace of seven to ten a day, which means roughly four-fifths of the foundations are in place. Eighty-eight reinforced concrete beams and 880 precast slabs are finished, and crews are preparing to pour the deck slab.

Behind the quay wall, about 1.5 million cubic metres of marine sand have been placed on the rear platform, and total backfill exceeds 2.5 million cubic metres. Engineers are using soil vibro-treatment and vertical drains to limit settlement. Some 4.2 million of the 5.5 million tonnes of rock needed to extend the breakwater are in position, and 10.6 million of 13 million cubic metres have been dredged, so that the basin can reach a depth of 16 metres and receive large bulk carriers.

Why it matters

The terminal is the maritime end of the integrated phosphate project built around the Bled El Hadba deposit in Tébessa province, whose reserves exceed 1.5 billion tonnes. The quay, about 1,600 metres long and designed for roughly 10 million tonnes a year, is the outlet for ore that must first travel by the Eastern mining railway, a dedicated 422-kilometre line crossing five provinces that is still under construction.

The project fits a central goal of Algerian economic policy: reducing dependence on oil and gas. Hydrocarbons still dominate export earnings, and the 2027 finance bill assumes a reference oil price of 60 dollars a barrel. The International Monetary Fund said this week that it sees encouraging progress in diversification. A state that can sell fertilizer raw materials and processed phosphate on world markets would gain a second, more stable source of foreign currency and create jobs in the east.

What comes next

The railway, the processing units and the quay must all be ready at the same moment, since a finished port is of little use without ore to load. The deck slab, the remaining piles and the last stretch of dredging and breakwater work are the near-term milestones to watch. The government will also have to show that Algerian phosphate can find buyers at competitive prices, with the President's March 2027 deadline barely five months away.

More from Algeria Now

{{ hero.ago }} · {{ stT.sum }}

{{ svAllLabel }} ›

> {{ svFeat.catLabel }} {{ svFeat.title }} {{ svFeat.meta }}

{{ mt.whenU }} {{ mt.home.name }}{{ mt.hsL }} {{ mt.away.name }}{{ mt.asL }}

#{{ t.cols.p }}{{ t.cols.gd }}{{ t.cols.pts }}

{{ r.pos }} {{ r.name }} {{ r.played }} {{ r.gdLabel }} {{ r.pts }}

{{ s.rank }} {{ s.name }}{{ s.team }} {{ s.goals }}

“

Annaba Phosphate Port Races Towards Tebboune's March 2027 Export Deadline

More from Algeria Now

{{ svCur.title }}

{{ SB.title }}

{{ art.title }}

{{ p.text }}

{{ nxT.same }}

{{ searchTitle }}

Your daily window into Algeria

{{ VT.videos }}

{{ svStTitle }}

{{ g.label }}

{{ t.loginTitle }}

{{ t.archives }}

{{ t.advSearch }}

{{ hero.title }}

{{ une2.title }}

{{ stT.k1 }}

{{ VT.videos }}

{{ t.scores }}

{{ t.table }}

{{ st.scorers }}

{{ VT.sport }}

{{ sec.label }}

{{ it.title }}

{{ t.feed }}

{{ catListTitle }}