Thousands of Moroccan Seasonal Workers Stranded in Spain as Ferries Fill Up

The seasonal workers are facing a serious problem. They cannot find available tickets to board the ferries to return to Morocco. According to some sources in the sector, there are more than 5,000 of them stuck in Huelva while the red fruit campaign has already ended.

The shipping company Balearia, which operates between Algeciras and Tanger Med, says that this year it has not signed an agreement with the agricultural organizations for the transport of seasonal workers, and that they can board at any time depending on the available seats. Intercity also says it is willing to transport the seasonal workers, even if it is unable to cope with the high demand. As for FRS, which also operates in the region, it has not given any reasons.

The 2022 Marhaba Operation, which started on June 15, is the cause of this situation, believes Diario de Huelva, specifying that it is more profitable for the shipping companies to sell tickets to the thousands of MREs from Europe who pay for example more than 400 euros for a trip between Algeciras and Tanger Med.

Arrangements are being made to make a daily ferry available to these seasonal workers for their repatriation to Morocco, as they are at the end of their contract and will no longer receive a salary, and their residence on Spanish territory may become problematic. According to the program of the agricultural organizations of Huelva, they were supposed to start returning to Morocco from mid-June, at a rate of around 800 seasonal workers per week.