Operation Crossing the Strait 2022 Registers 47% More Influx of Vehicles

After two years of border closing between Morocco and Spain due to the COVID-19 crisis, this year a total of 634,606 passengers and 153,934 vehicles have passed through Andalusian ports on their journey to Africa as part of the Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE).

Rabat – After two years of border closing between Morocco and Spain due to the COVID-19 crisis, this year a total of 634,606 passengers and 153,934 vehicles have passed through Andalusian ports on their journey to Africa as part of the Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE).

These figures represent a 47% increase in automobiles and a 34.2% increase in tourists compared to the previous edition in 2019.

According to Ideal, a Spanish news platform, 3.6 million travelers and 800,000 cars are expected throughout the operation, which spans the entire summer, including the return period between August and September and the departure period between June and July.

According to the Government Delegation in Andalusia, the most critical days of influx have been July 8, 9, and 10, a few days before Eid Al Adha. The delegation expects more vehicle passage by the end of July and the beginning of August, noting that the peak return period will be at the end of August.

The Government Delegation also noted that the ports of Algeciras and Trifa have witnessed the biggest influx, with about 70% of all cars traveling via the Andalusian port facilities.

Due to their closeness to Tangier and Ceuta, the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa account for roughly 75% of all boardings, the same source added, noting that seven shipping companies participate in this operation, with 33 vessels delivering people and cars.

The OPE proposal in Spain, according to the Ideal, promises more than 500,000 square meters in the area of the Andalusian ports, including plazas and parking lots with a capacity of 16,500 places.

More than 22,000 professionals have participated in the operation. The majority of them belong to State Security Forces and Bodies, with 16,000 agents, the Spanish news source added.

With 297 reinforcement personnel employed, the majority of whom serve in the ports, this expansion of this operation will provide a health care system led by the Spanish Ministry of Health and the Board and the Red Cross, Ideal reported.