Spanish Ports Handle Record Surge of Moroccan Expatriate Traffic During Marhaba Operation

Last weekend, the last of July which marks the end of the outward phase of the Marhaba Operation, a higher flow of Moroccan expatriates was recorded. Since the beginning of the Operation, 844,000 Moroccan expatriates and 186,000 vehicles have transited through Algeciras and 141,174 Moroccan expatriates and 22,111 vehicles through Tarifa, i.e. respectively 16 and 6% more than in 2019. The two ports absorb 74% of the flow of Moroccan expatriate vehicles as part of the Transit Operation, reports La Voz Digital.

In early July, 91,311 Moroccan expatriates and 21,045 vehicles embarked from Algeciras and Tarifa, figures very similar to those recorded last weekend when 91,547 Moroccan expatriates and 21,619 vehicles transited through the two ports, with peaks recorded on July 3 (39,941 Moroccan expatriates and 9,345 vehicles) and last Sunday (38,503 Moroccan expatriates and 8,993 vehicles).

Unlike the first weekend of July, Algeciras was able to manage the significant flow of Moroccan expatriates last weekend, where the Merchant Navy Directorate activated the interchangeability of tickets, even if several hours of waiting were noted on Sunday in Sebta. The emergency plan was activated and the vehicles without a ticket who were supposed to embark from Tarifa were diverted to Algeciras.

According to the president of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA), Gerardo Landaluce, the flow was brought under control last weekend because the system worked well and most travelers had bought their tickets before entering the ports, "which allowed the fluidity and security of transit".