Almost 4,000 passengers and 922 vehicles have boarded ships from Spain to Morocco

An approximate 4,000 passengers and 922 vehicles have boarded the first ships from the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa to Tangier Med since Monday.

For this first day of passenger traffic with vehicles to Tangier Med, the port of Algeciras made 10 rotations against, and 6 for the port of Tarifa.

These first ferries carried mainly passenger cars, vans and motor homes, says Europa Sur.

Only travelers with set tickets and with a vaccination pass or a negative PCR test not older than 72 hours, were allowed to board.

Connections for passengers without vehicles have resumed on Tuesday, April 12, with the possibility of boarding in collective vehicles such as buses.

The full resumption of maritime links between Spain and Morocco, after more than two years of border closures, will also allow the organization of Operation Marhaba 2022, the first since the outbreak of the pandemic.

The Spanish government has decided to launch the preparations for Operation Marhaba after the resumption of maritime links on Tuesday.

The change in Spain’s position on the Sahara in mid-March triggered this rapprochement, in addition to the visit last Thursday of Pedro Sanchez to Rabat, marking the end of the crisis and the beginning of a “new stage” in the relationship between the two countries.

On Monday, the Undersecretary of the Ministry of the Interior, Isabel Goicoechea, and the Director General of Civil Protection and Emergencies, Leonardo Marcos, co-chaired the meeting of the State Coordination and Management Committee (CECOD) of the Marhaba 2022 Operation, which will take place between June 15 and September 15, in compliance with health regulations.