Possible Reopening in April of the Lines with Morocco

Pending official confirmation, the announcement of the upcoming visit to Rabat by the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, scheduled for April 1, seems to be the prelude to the expected reestablishment of the Operation Paso del Estrecho (OPE) 2022, called Operation Marhaba in Arabic. In this regard, the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) is working, whose president, Gerardo Landaluce, has stated that “we have a lot at stake from an economic and commercial point of view,” according to the digital edition of elfarodeceuta.es.

The maritime connection for passengers and their vehicles under luggage regulations on the Algeciras-Tanger Med route has been suspended since March 2020, not only for health reasons related to the coronavirus but also “due to diplomatic disagreements,” as noted by Landaluce, which now seem to be resolved following the Spanish Government's support for the autonomy plan of the Sahara.

Moroccan media indicate April 7 as a possible date for the resumption of the first trip on the Tarifa-Tanger line, operated by the Hispano-German shipping company FRS.

There is also anticipation for the “controlled reopening” of the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, which would lead to an increase in maritime traffic from the ports of Almería and Málaga, as well as the Nador line, which has so far been restricted to freight traffic.

The OPE allows thousands of Moroccans residing in Europe to return to their country for vacation during the summer months. Suspended since 2020, in 2021 trips were organized through the ports of Sète (France) and Genoa (Italy), although they moved figures very distant from what is a normal OPE through Spanish ports. Likewise, the project to maintain alternative links from Portugal turned out to be a resounding failure.

Photo: Juan G. Mata (J&N)