Spanish State Ports President Alvaro Rodriguez Dapena assured, on February 20, that the Spanish government is working with Morocco to find a comprehensive solution for resuming maritime links and organizing Operation Marhaba in the coming year.
“We have suffered for two years from Morocco’s unilateral decision to abolish Operation Marhaba and regular maritime links. We have lost ten million passengers, five every year, which affects the negative result of the Port Authority and of the companies that provide services to passengers, as well as complementary services for shipping companies”, Dapena explained in a statement to Spanish news outlet Europa Sur, assuring that negotiations have begun again to reconnect the maritime links between the two countries.
Moroccan-controlled maritime links have closed the Spanish ports for the past two years, causing the situation to get progressively worse.
The Moroccan border posts have been closed since March 2020 to prevent the spread of Covid-19, and Operation Marhaba, designed to allow Moroccans living in Europe to travel to their home country via ports, has been canceled in 2020 and 2021.
The port director also analyzed the recent growth of the Tanger-Med port, coupled with the growth of ports along the strait.
“Traffic around the Strait is growing at very significant levels so that if it continues to grow like this, Tangier-Med and the two terminals at the Port of Algeciras will continue to be loaded. It is not a matter of dividing the cake from one side to the other, but rather that traffic in the Strait is expected to double in seven years,” he stated.
“As for road traffic, 15 years ago there were 40,000 units and now there are 400,000 annual trailers with a growth perspective. It is an opportunity that is the result of a relocation of activity but that is based on our market. It is positive and we will seek to improve it,” the director stated in regards to the traffic situation between Morocco and Spain.
Morocco is still suspending the reopening of maritime links into the country, according to the Ministry of Equipment, Transport and Logistics’ note published on February 4.
The decision to suspend the maritime border reopening does not apply to international means of transport, including trucks for transporting goods, added the same source.
The Ministry said in its previous press release that only commercial vehicles (trucks, road combinations, vans) will be able to transit by sea to and from Morocco.
Last month, a special ferry was organized linking Tanger-Med to Marseille, aiming to repatriate French and European citizens stranded in Morocco as well as Moroccan permanent residents in France.
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