Gibraltar Tunnel Project Threatens Ceuta’s Economy and Tourism

The realization of the project would cause significant damage to Ceuta, which would be cut off from the other cities of the peninsula and would have to lose its tourists, not to mention its port which would also be neglected. In short, Ceuta would become a marginalized city, according to an analysis published in the newspaper El Faro de Ceuta on December 29, 1995.

The project plans to establish a "fixed link" between Spain and Morocco in the Strait of Gibraltar. Feasibility studies have been launched since 1980 by the Spanish Society for Studies on Fixed Communications across the Strait of Gibraltar (SECEG) and the Moroccan National Society for Strait Studies. Technicians from both countries as well as experts from around the world have participated in congresses or conferences held in Tangier, Marrakech, Madrid, Seville and elsewhere to prepare the technical documents for the project.

These studies for the construction of the tunnel are very advanced. 38.7 kilometers long, including 27.7 kilometers underwater and 11 kilometers underground, the tunnel should connect Tarifa (Punta Paloma) to Tangier (Ras Malabata). The work was supposed to start no later than 2005, according to the studies, and allow a traffic of 7 to 10 million passengers and 4 to 6 million tons of goods per year.

The government of Ceuta must participate in these meetings, as the Chamber of Commerce of the city has been doing since 1981, in order to ensure the integration of Ceuta in the areas likely to be affected by the project. The construction of the tunnel will eventually benefit from significant contributions from the Community in general and Spain in particular.