French Shipping Line Expands Morocco-Europe Route with New Alicante Stop

La Méridionale announced that starting next Tuesday, the Ro-Ro service that departs every Monday from the port of Tangier Med destined for Marseille will make a stop in Alicante. However, sources from the Spanish port indicate that the stop could take place on Thursday, as reported by La Vanguardia, specifying that no stop is planned from Marseille to Tangier Med.

Read: Spain Seeks to Restore Maritime Links with Morocco After Two-Year Hiatus

This new stop will allow Moroccan goods (fruits and vegetables, textiles, etc.) to be transported to Alicante and in particular to Murcia, and to facilitate the rapid mixed transport (ship-road) of goods destined for Zaragoza and Perpignan. The journey between Tangier Med and Alicante takes 17 hours. Thus, according to La Méridionale’s forecasts, the ships will be able to dock at the Alicante terminal on Tuesday around 1 pm, before continuing their journey to Marseille, a journey that takes a full day.

Read: Moroccan Diaspora in Spain Anxious for Ferry Routes to Reopen Ahead of Summer Travel

Since the end of 2020, La Méridionale has launched the connection with Tangier Med. The company initially operated two weekly connections with a mixed cargo and passenger ship before moving to three connections per week in 2021. The connections are served by two ships: the "Pelagos", with a capacity of 300 passengers, 200 vehicles and 170 trailers, and the "Girolata", which can accommodate 800 passengers, 800 vehicles and 140 trailers.