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Rabat — The Spanish Society for Fixed Communications Studies across the Strait of Gibraltar S.A. (SECEGSA) is initiating a seismic data collection project to explore the feasibility of building an underwater tunnel between Spain and Morocco.
As part of this effort, SECEGSA has issued a tender for the lease, with an option to purchase, four ocean-bottom seismometers (OBS).
These instruments will be employed by the geophysics department of the Spanish Royal Navy Observatory (ROA) for a six-month research campaign, which is valued at approximately MAD 5.75 million ($522,500).
Since 2010, ROA and SECEGSA have been working together to monitor seismic activity in the Strait of Gibraltar and its vicinity. Their ongoing collaboration focuses on maintaining a short-term seismic network in the region and analyzing the resulting data.
The original idea of creating a fixed link between Spain and Morocco first emerged in 1979 when King Hassan II and King Juan Carlos I signed a joint declaration to explore its feasibility.
By 1980, two public entities were established to advance the project: SECEGSA in Spain and SNED in Morocco. Despite substantial investments in the 1980s, progress stalled with no tangible results.
Recently, however, there has been renewed momentum towards realizing this vision. At the 43rd meeting of the Spanish-Moroccan Committee in April 2023, both countries agreed on a three-year work plan. This plan includes assessing the feasibility of constructing a geomechanical reconnaissance gallery, which could also serve telecommunications purposes.
The project entails building two submarine tunnels, each 28 kilometers long and reaching depths of up to 475 meters. These tunnels would connect Punta Paloma in Spain with Malabata in northern Morocco.
Recent studies by researchers at SECEGSA have confirmed the project’s feasibility, suggesting it could be completed and operational by early 2030, in time for the World Cup.
