Operation Paso del Estrecho begins, which once again includes Spanish ports

• Andalusia Operation Crossing the Strait: the exodus of three million North Africans that Andalusia is suspicious of

The

(

) between

and

begins this Sunday, again including the Spanish ports after their exclusion for the last two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the

.

As reported by the

, in charge of coordinating the operation,

have been prepared , in Morocco and in different European countries, to receive travellers, among which are those of the Mediterranean ports of Tanger-Med, Tanger-Ville, Al Hoceima and Nador.

In addition, other reception spaces have been equipped in

,

and

, in addition to

(France) and

(Italy).

More than 1,000 doctors, social workers and volunteers will provide social and medical support to travelers at rest stops and on ships.

Also known as

(welcome), the OPE has been organizing since 1986 the outward and return transit of citizens of Moroccan origin who travel from European countries to North Africa in the summer season.

It represents

in such a short space of time.

In 2019, the year in which the last OPE that included Spanish ports took place, 3,340,045 passengers and 760,215 vehicles crossed the Strait of Gibraltar through maritime lines between Morocco and Spain.

This year, Morocco has scheduled 32 ferries, with 571 weekly trips, to cover the route between its ports and those of Spain, France and Italy, with a capacity for 478,000 passengers and 123,000 cars.

There will be 23 ferries that will operate on the lines that connect the Maghreb country and Spain, which represents 95% of the passenger traffic during this operation, 14 of which will cover the main route Tanger-Med - Algeciras.

Two ships dedicated to the transport of trucks will also operate on these lines.

These ships will make

, which means an increase of 4% compared to 2019.

In 2020 and 2021, the Government of Morocco limited the return of Moroccan emigrants to their country to the use of ships from the French ports of Marseille and Sète, in addition to the Italian port of Genoa.

On April 12, the maritime links between the ports of

and

with those of Tanger-Med and Tanger-Ville, respectively, restored their activity after more than two years of suspension of the routes.

Likewise, on May 17, the land borders between Spain and Morocco were reopened in the cities of

and

after the closure due to the pandemic and the bilateral crisis between the two countries.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more