Canary Islands expedites efforts to reopen maritime link to Tarfaya port

The Canary Islands are stepping up efforts to reestablish a maritime link with the port of Tarfaya.

A working group meeting was held with a government delegation from the Las Palmas region. This conference provided an opportunity to introduce the “Newport y Hamilton” organization, which is in charge of rehabilitating the Tarfaya-Fuerteventura route.

This group will be in charge of the maritime route, and their first task will be to reopen it. This is the first definite action taken since a passenger ship became stranded near Tarfaya due to extreme weather in 2008.

Back then, Moroccan authorities expressed alarm about the incident’s environmental consequences. As a result, the marine route was suspended.

The Canary Islands’ decision to re-establish maritime ties with Morocco is due to the latter’s growing significance as a key regional player in accessing West African markets, a move the Canary Islands government is keen to capitalize on.

The re-establishment of these ties is expected to positively impact the tourism sector in the southern regions of the Kingdom, as these islands are significant regional markets for tourists worldwide.

Morocco’s Minister of Transport and Logistics, Mohamed Abdeljalil, has formally expressed its intention to reopen the maritime connection between Tarfaya and the Spanish islands, in a letter to the Canary Islands government.

“The maritime connection between Tarfaya and Fuerteventura offers tremendous potential for increasing trade, notably in terms of tourist influx to the southern regions,” said Economist Khalid Hammos, in a statement to Hespress AR.

He further explained that Morocco’s economic returns in dealings with West Africa greatly encouraged the Canary government to restore maritime connections.

“The financial returns will not be confined to numbers, but will also play an important role in strengthening Spain’s position on the Moroccan Sahara conflict,” said the expert.

He also explained that the re-establishment of this route would also help to improve security coordination between the two countries to handle the region’s growing migratory concerns.

In return, Moroccan exports are expected to gain access to the promising Canary Islands market, which is similar to Europe’s consumer market.

Abdelkhalek Tuhami said that the maritime route between Tarfaya and the Canary Islands would stimulate trade exchanges in the short term.

He believes that this decision is related to the resuscitation of Morocco-Spain relations, as well as Rabat’s ambition to reinforce its strategic position on the Atlantic coast.

Tuhami also added that the route is expected to double the number of tourists visiting the southern regions of Morocco.

“The only issue with this connection is the migration aspect, which necessitates heightened security coordination in tandem with the reactivation of ship activity on both sides,” concluded the expert in a statement with Hespress AR.

President Clavijo recognized last Friday the significance of a marine line that would boost economic and commercial relations between the Canary Islands and Morocco, among other countries.

He noted the favorable outcomes of the Fuerteventura-Tarfaya connection between 2007 and 2008 and confirmed that the Canary Islands administration “will do everything on its part to start operating as soon as possible.”

The president also mentioned visiting Morocco next year, emphasizing his enthusiasm for the project’s success.