Boats between Spain and Morocco blocked
Maritime traffic between Spain and Morocco has been experiencing significant disruptions since Saturday, January 24, due to the passage of Storm Ingrid in the Gibraltar Strait area. The orange alerts triggered by the meteorological authorities of the two countries have led to the suspension of several ferry connections and massive congestion of commercial vessels, forced to wait for an improvement in the conditions in the Alboran Sea.
The Strait of Gibraltar, one of the busiest maritime highways in the world with more than 300 daily crossings, is currently the scene of a major logistical blockage. The connections between Tarifa and Tangier City have been interrupted for the third consecutive day, while the strategic ports of Tanger Med and Algeciras have had to limit or suspend their operations. This situation is the result of westerly winds reaching 85 km/h and waves of five to six meters, corresponding to a force 9 on the Beaufort scale, making docking maneuvers impossible and navigation perilous for carriers, reports Europa Press.
Faced with the violence of the storm, dozens of container ships, bulk carriers, and livestock transport vessels are immobilized off the Costa del Sol and Ceuta. The captains favor the "storm confrontation" tactic, consisting of keeping the engines running at reduced speed to stabilize the vessels against the complex currents of the strait. Anchoring is prohibited by the Maritime Captaincy due to the instability of the seabed in rough weather, to prevent the ships from drifting towards the coasts.
While a relative lull is observed this Monday, January 26, the forecasts of the State Meteorological Agency (Aemet - Spain) indicate a new deterioration for Tuesday, January 27. Alerts for coastal phenomena and wind gusts close to 80 km/h are expected again, suggesting a prolongation of delays in the transport of goods and passengers between the two shores of the Mediterranean.
