Ceuta Prepares for Annual Influx of Moroccan Expats in Massive EU Border Operation

The Strait Crossing Operation (OPE) or Marhaba is the largest operational device of the European Union. It facilitates the passage of more than three million people and more than 760,000 vehicles from Europe to Africa, mainly to Morocco, by sea each year.

During the last operation, which was held from June 15 to September 15, 2022, some 683,586 passengers, 161,272 vehicles and 3,056 ship rotations were recorded via the port of Sebta, sometimes creating monstrous traffic jams at the Moroccan border and causing inconvenience to the city’s residents.

The OPE 2023 coordinator, Abselam Abdel Lah Abdeselam, stressed that this first meeting marks the beginning of a series of meetings that will be held in the coming weeks to ensure a smooth and incident-free operation. The measures taken by the Territorial Coordination Committee will make it possible to optimize the management of flows and maximize user satisfaction, it is indicated.