Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Data from Spain’s Interior Ministry said the Strait Crossing Operation, Spain’s counterpart to Morocco’s annual Marhaba Operation, recorded over 640,000 passengers and 160,000 vehicles in transit during its first month.
Morocco’s Marhaba Operation is an annual initiative launched to facilitate the transit of Moroccans living abroad who choose the North African kingdom as their summer destination.
On the Spanish side, the operation is known as the Strait Crossing Operation, which also manages the transit of the Moroccan diaspora through Spanish ports.
The numbers, according to Spain’s Interior Ministry, show a slight decline compared to the same period last year, with the ports of Algeciras, Tarifa, and Almería handling over 90% of the total traffic.
Spanish authorities said the operation proceeded without major incidents or significant delays since the it began on June 15.
A total of 646,121 passengers and 160,698 vehicles crossed through Spanish ports aboard2,220 ferry crossings. This represents a 4.9% decline compared to the same period last year, while vehicle movement fell by 4.4%.
Ferry rotations also recorded a decrease of 6.3%, with authorities stating the numbers reflect stable mobility flows between Europe and North Africa.
The Algeciras-Tangier Med connection remained the busiest, serving 250,504 passengers and 75,700 vehicles.
The Tarifa-Tangier Ville route followed with 115,880 passengers, while the Algeciras-Ceuta route recorded 107,086 passengers and 24,347 vehicles.
Morocco launched the 26th edition of Operation Marhaba at the port of Tanger Med on June 10.
The three-month initiative is designed to welcome an estimated 3 million Moroccans residing abroad during the summer travel season.
The Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity coordinates the initiative annually.
This year, the foundation activated a network of 26 welcome spaces across Morocco and Europe.
Twenty are located in Morocco, spanning the ports of Tanger Med, Tanger Ville, Al Hoceima, and Nador Bni Nsar; airports in Casablanca, Rabat, Oujda, Nador, Agadir, Fez, Marrakech, Tangier, Laayoune, and Dakhla; rest areas at Méditerranée, Jebha, Tazaghine, and Smir M’Diq; and border crossings at Bab Sebta and Melilla.
Six additional spaces are stationed at European ports: Genoa in Italy; Sète and Marseille in France; and Motril, Almería, and Algeciras in Spain. The full operation runs from June 10 through September 15.
