Morocco activated social device for this Sunday Strait Crossing Operation (OPE)Although the operational start of vehicular traffic between Spain and Morocco was on 15 June, the . .
As reported by the Mohamed V Solidarity Foundation responsible for coordinating the operation, 17 rest stops have been prepared in Morocco and in different countries of the world. Europe to welcome travelers, including the Mediterranean ports of Tanger-Med, Tanger-Ville, Alhucemas and Nador.
Moreover, Other reception areas in Almería, Algeciras and Motril have been equippedIn addition to Sète (France) and Genoa (Italy).
Interior sources indicate that the official start of the operation will take place on June 15, while the device’s peak dates are expected to be registered for the Lamb Festival on July 8 and 9, and for the last weekend of that month. holiday period.
As announced last Wednesday, José Pachecho, the Government’s sub-delegate in Cádiz, at the end of the meeting of OPE’s first steering committee post-pandemic, increase in passenger numbers compared to other editionsWith a 10% margin.
But already from this Sunday the Moroccan Foundation Mobilized more than 1,000 doctors, social workers and volunteersIt will provide social and medical support to passengers at rest stops and on board ships.
OPE, also known as Operation Marhaba (Welcome) Since 1986, it has been organizing round-trip transit for citizens of Moroccan origin traveling from European countries to North Africa in the summer.
It represents one of the largest human movements between continents in such a short span of time. In 2019, the year the last OPE, which included Spanish ports, took place, 3,340,045 passengers and 760,215 vehicles crossed the Strait of Gibraltar by sea between Morocco and Spain.
This year, Morocco plans 32 ferries with 571 weekly sailingsIt will cover the route between the ports of Spain, France and Italy, with ports with a capacity of 478,000 passengers and 123,000 cars.
During this operation, 23 ferry services will be made, 14 of which will cover the main Tanger-Med – Algeciras route, which will operate on the lines connecting the Maghreb country and Spain, which constitutes 95% of the passenger traffic. Two ships dedicated to truck transportation will also operate on these lines.
These ships will make 47 daily voyages with a capacity of approximately 40,000 passengers and 11,000 vehicles, an increase of 4 percent compared to 2019.
In 2020 and 2021, the Moroccan Government limited the return of Moroccan migrants to the use of ships from the French ports of Marseille and Sète, in addition to the Italian port of Genoa.
Last April 12, Sea connections between the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa and the ports of Tanger-Med and Tanger-Villerespectively, restored its activities after the suspension of routes for more than two years.
Likewise, the land borders between Spain and Morocco were reopened in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, which were closed on May 17 due to the pandemic and the bilateral crisis between the two countries.