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Rabat – Morocco’s Tanger Med Port Authority has signed a short-term agreement with the Estonian Tallink Group to charter two of its ships to connect Morocco with Italy and France for the July-September period.
Tallink’s Victoria I already departed from the Estonian capital Tallinn on June 28, while the other vessel, Romantika, is set to depart on 5 July. Both ships have been chartered for 100 days, as part of Morocco’s Operation Marhaba. During the agreed upon time period, Tallink’s technical crew will be operating the ships.
The Estonian shipping company already has previous experience in the Mediterranean as the company used to send its ships in the region for short-term charters to aid various regional operators.
Read also: Operation Marhaba: Ferries to Depart from Marseille, Sete, Genoa
“We are pleased we have managed to secure another charter agreement for our vessels this year and they don’t have to wait idly in the port for travel restrictions to ease and travelling to resume,” said Tallink Group’s CEO Paavo Nogene. “Even if the charter is short-term for 100 days, it is work for the vessel and our crew for 100 days.”
The CEO added that the crew have a good level of knowledge” of the Mediterranea, citing their previous experience sailing in the region.
Every year Morocco facilitates the return of millions of Moroccans living abroad (MREs) as part of Operation Marhaba. Unlike most years, this year the initiative’s busiest route connecting Morocco with Spain’s Algaciers’ port will not be running services. Due to the Rabat-Madrid diplomatic spat Morocco has been exploring alternative travel routes.
Besides routes connecting Morocco with Sete in France and Genoa in Italy, Rabat is considering opening a new route connecting Tangier with Portugal’s Portimao.
This is the first time in 34 years that Morocco has excluded Spanish ports from Operation Marhaba. At its narrowest point, the crossing between the two countries measures only nine miles.
