Algeciras: End of the hunt for "overfilled" tanks for trucks from Morocco

A breath of relief is blowing on the port of Algeciras for Moroccan road hauliers. The Spanish authorities would have reduced the pace of fines related to excess fuel in the tanks. Until recently, exceeding the 200-liter limit almost systematically resulted in fines ranging from 300 to 400 euros, a practice now in sharp decline.

This dispute is based on a bilateral agreement dating back to the early 1990s, reactivated in 2020, which considers any excess diesel as smuggling. Moroccan operators consider this rule completely obsolete. They point out that modern trucks (Euro 5 and 6 standards) have much larger tanks and that their journeys are no longer limited to Spain, but now cover all of Europe, requiring increased autonomy.

Beyond logistics, the issue is economic: by refueling in Morocco, companies seek to limit the use of their foreign exchange reserves and avoid the high prices of Iberian service stations. After a September marked by many sanctions at the launch of the agricultural export campaign, this recent easing provides a breath of fresh air to a strategic sector for trade between the Kingdom and the European Union.