Spain has commissioned a €553,000 geological study of a key section of the Strait of Gibraltar as part of renewed efforts to advance the long-planned tunnel linking Europe and Africa, Spanish media reported.
The Spanish government tasked the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) with carrying out a detailed geological assessment of the Camarinal Sill, a strategically sensitive area of the strait. The contract, valued at €553,187.38, will be funded by the state-owned company Secegsa and implemented over 2025 and 2026.
The decision was signed on Dec. 26, 2025, and published in Spain’s official gazette on Dec. 30. The study aims to update and expand existing geological data in one of the most complex sections of the strait, with the goal of reducing technical uncertainty surrounding the proposed fixed link between Spain and Morocco.
The research will be conducted by three CSIC institutes: the Geological and Mining Institute of Spain, the Spanish Institute of Oceanography, and the Institute of Marine Sciences. The project will also involve cooperation with Spain’s Hydrographic Institute and the U.S. Geological Survey.
According to Spanish media, the fieldwork is expected to take place before the end of the first half of 2026 and will include approximately 15 days of operations at sea. Planned activities include high-resolution multibeam bathymetric mapping, parametric sub-bottom profiling, seabed and rock sampling, as well as laboratory analysis and scientific interpretation of the collected data.
The results will be integrated into a three-dimensional geological model of the Camarinal Sill, which researchers consider essential for evaluating the technical feasibility of the tunnel project.
The study will be carried out in an environmentally sensitive and protected area, requiring strict monitoring and regulatory approvals. Spanish sources noted that the work will be conducted within the framework of bilateral cooperation between Spain and Morocco, reflecting the cross-border nature of the proposed infrastructure project.
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