Libya partners with Qatar to expand free zone port

• Prime minister announces Misurata project
• Expansion to generate $500m annual revenue
• Qatar’s Maha Capital is a partner

Libya has signed a partnership with Qatari and Italian companies to expand and develop the Misurata Free Zone port, aiming to transform it into a regional transhipment point to compete with Egypt and Morocco.

Total investment is expected to reach $2.7 billion, prime minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh said in a post on the social messaging platform X.

The expansion will generate an annual estimated operating revenue of $500 million, the prime minister said.

The project will be developed as part of a public-private partnership with Qatar-based Maha Capital Partners and Terminal Investment, the investment and operating arm of Italy’s MSC Group, Misurata Free Zone said in a statement.

The free zone is 200km east of Tripoli. The expansion will increase the site’s area to 20,000 hectares from its existing 2,576 hectares. 

The port currently handles 60 to 65 percent of Libya’s container trade. Its capacity will be increased to 4 million twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU) in two phases. 

Further reading:

• Libyan oil revenues rise as output hits 10-year high
• Salem Maiar: The cautious return of oil internationals to Libya
• Libya to open oil exploration bids in February 2026

“The project will not only enhance Libya’s position among the region’s largest ports in terms of size and capacity, but also rely on direct foreign investment within a comprehensive international partnership,” Dbeibeh said.

Doha-based Maha Capital Partners will provide long-term investment and institutional expertise in financing large-scale infrastructure projects in emerging markets, the statement said.

It added that the project is likely to create 8,400 direct jobs and 60,000 indirect opportunities.