The president of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA), Gerardo Landaluce, expressed his satisfaction on Thursday with the announced resumption of passenger maritime traffic with Morocco and the upcoming organization of Operation Marhaba (Moroccans living abroad).
Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares will travel to Rabat on April 1 to strengthen the bilateral relationship with Morocco. In particular, this trip will allow the reopening of the borders with Ceuta and Melilla and the resumption of maritime links and therefore the Marhaba Operation dedicated to Moroccans Residing Abroad.
Morocco has closed its maritime borders with Spain for almost two years now, which has prevented the organization of Opération Marhaba in 2020 and 2021. The non-holding of this operation in 2022 would be "deadly" for the port of Algeciras, through which most Moroccans from Europe travel to the kingdom in the summer.
The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) hopes that Opération Marhaba dedicated to MREs, suspended for almost two years by Morocco for health reasons, will resume this year.
The municipal council of Algeciras, in its session on Friday, called on the central government to intensify negotiations with Morocco for the resumption of maritime links suspended since March 2020 and the organization this year of the Marhaba Operation.
The president of the State Ports, Álvaro Rodríguez Dapena, assured that Spanish diplomacy is working to find a concerted solution with Morocco for the resumption of maritime links and the organization of the Marhaba Operation this year.
The large Moroccan community in Spain is eagerly awaiting the resumption of maritime links to travel to Morocco next summer.
The President of the Melilla Port Authority, Víctor Gamero, hopes that Morocco will not exclude the city, for the third consecutive year, from Operation Marhaba.
The arrival of MREs during the summer season (June 15 to August 31) has allowed the airports of Tangier, Tetouan and Al Hoceima to improve their passenger flow and even exceed their pre-health crisis traffic.
From June 15 to August 31, 2021, Morocco’s airports recorded a volume of international commercial traffic of 3.5 million passengers. This volume represents a recovery rate of 65% compared to the same period in 2019.
Following cyclical indicators showing a gradual recovery of tourism activity in Morocco in June 2021, the Directorate of Studies and Financial Forecasts (DEPF) is rather optimistic for the coming months.
Faced with the economic situation of the port of Ceuta, which is suffering the effects of the health crisis with the closure of borders decided by Morocco, preventing the holding of the Marhaba Operation , the maritime section of CCOO has asked the president of the State ports to take the necessary measures to guarantee the viability of the port infrastructure.