Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Rabat – Morocco is gearing up to launch Operation Marhaba 2023, an annual initiative to welcome millions of members of Morocco’s diaspora wishing to spend their summer holiday in their country of origin.
Minister of Transport and Logistics Mohamed Abdeljalil this week provided details on the preparation for Marhaba Operation 2023. He explained that 33 boats have been mobilized from nine different companies to provide diaspora peoples with a smooth connection between Moroccan ports and those in Spain, France, and Italy.
The sea trips will carry out 538 weekly sea crossings, with an estimated capacity of 500,000 passengers and 136,000 vehicles.
The Ministry of Transport is “actively” working to ensure the success of the operation and facilitate smooth and affordable transit services for Morocco’s vast diaspora.
Every year Morocco launches the massive operation between the period of June and September, helping millions of diaspora members to transit to Morocco and return to their country of residence following their holidays.
Over 3.2 million members of Morocco’s diaspora benefited from Operation Marhaba in 2022. The arrivals transited back and forth Morocco from different ports, including in France, Italy, and Spain, which has the shortest transit through the strait of Gibraltar.
Last year marked the return of Spanish ports’ involvement in the operation following a year of diplomatic tensions between the two neighboring countries.
In 2021, Morocco excluded Spanish ports from Operation Marhaba due to political tensions triggered by the Spanish decision to host Polisario leader Brahim Ghali for hospitalization.
Spain and Morocco overcame their bilateral crisis after a series of dialogue and Spain’s official endorsement of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible basis to end the dispute over the Western Sahara region.
