Outrage in Morocco Over Balearia's Abandonment

Balearia's unilateral decision to abandon the service on the Nador-Melilla route, with the surprising withdrawal of the ferry “Bahama Mama” during the peak return of the OPE, has caused great discontent in Morocco and harm to the affected passengers, who have been given the alternative, measured in several hundred kilometers, to depart from Tangier Med towards Algeciras.

As a collateral effect of this arbitrary decision, Morocco's maritime authorities delayed the departure of the ferry “Villa de Teror,” which covers the Nador-Motril route of Trasmediterránea, by three and a half hours so that it could accommodate passengers affected by Balearia, which added more tension to the situation.

Following the accident last Friday night involving the catamaran “Pinar del Río” at the entrance of the port of Denia, Balearia ordered the withdrawal of the ferry “Bahama Mama” from the Nador-Almería route to replace it on the Palma-Ibiza-Denia route.

This decision, in the middle of summer, gives the impression that Balearia is acting with improvisation and desperation, instead of seeking other alternatives for the passengers from Morocco, whom it mistreats with its decision, and where it claims to have a significant market niche.

Photo: provided