Operation Crossing the Strait 2023 between Morocco and Spain gets underway

The OPE is and has always been an event of the utmost importance for tourists, residents returning to their countries of origin to visit family and friends and, above all, for the Spanish and Moroccan governments, who carefully observe the functioning of all the measures put in place to reinforce the safety of citizens. Although the official start date for the 2023 EPO was 15 June, for the Moroccans, who attach great importance to the operation, it began on 5 June. On the other hand, the OPE 2023 started this Thursday for Spaniards. 

To guarantee the minimum health and safety rights of those who decide to make the journey, a reinforced security measure will be used, according to the Spanish Ministry of the Interior. In this way, 19,441 police officers will be mobilised for Operation Marhaba, also known as OPE 2023, or Crossing the Strait in Spain, which represents an increase of 21.4% compared to 2022. 

There will be 18,593 National Police and Civil Guard agents in the interior of Spain for this edition; 648 additional soldiers must be added to the special services in the ports of embarkation. These reinforcements will focus their energies on the surveillance of important ports and borders such as those of Valencia, Alicante, Almería, Málaga, Motril, Algeciras, Tarifa, Ceuta and Melilla. Specifically, there will be 4,520 National Police officers and 14,073 Guardia Civil officers on duty at these locations. In addition, the Local Police of the cities with embarkation ports will be affected by the security regulations determined by the Spanish-Moroccan Joint Commission, established in the OPE 2023 Plan. 

Due to the increase in traffic, there were times when there were long queues at some port entrances during the summer of 2022. The aim of this deployment is to "guarantee the normal and correct functioning of the operation", which takes place in Spain from 15 June to 15 September and involves thousands of people travelling nationwide from their country or other North African or sub-Saharan countries. According to data from the Spanish Interior Ministry, during the three months of operation last season, 2,912,283 passengers and 695,487 vehicles crossed the Strait of Gibraltar "without confrontations or incidents" in a total of 9,908 rotations in both directions. The plan also identifies the dates that are expected to be crucial for the huge influx of vehicles and passengers, both in the outbound phase between 15 June and 15 August and in the return phase between 15 July and 15 September. 

To ensure that this extraordinary exercise runs smoothly and flexibly, its teams have been activated. One of the world's largest shipping companies, FRS, is in this situation; it has increased staff and made six ships available for migrants returning home. Company officials reaffirmed their capacity to welcome Moroccans from all over the world at a press conference held at the company's headquarters in Tarifa, according to information to which Hespress has had access. 

Martial Pico Romera, executive and commercial director of FRS, explained to Hespress that the company - FRS - has increased its staff by some 350 additional employees, both on land and at sea, and has scheduled crossings every two hours to transport some 360,000 people a day, according to the company's estimates. All this given the expected increase in travellers over the previous year, particularly due to the convergence of the transit period with Eid Al-Adha and the school holidays. Operation Marhaba is expected to peak between the ports of Tangier City/Tarifa, Tangier Med/Algeciras and Algeciras/Ceuta at the end of June, peak at the end of July and then take a short break in the first week of August. 

Between 17 August and the first days of September there was an increase in passengers. The days leading up to the Feast of the Lamb 24, 25, 26 and 27 June, as well as the months of July, August and September, are marked in this edition as crucial in the launch phase. The 29th, 30th, 31st and 1st September are expected to be a real challenge for the institutions in charge of the safety of those who decide to use one of the routes. Heavy traffic jams are expected during this time, which should correspond to the highest number of registered vehicles. 

In addition, the border information system has been activated, which makes it possible to predict the times and pace of arrival of vehicles at the ports. To provide all drivers with the necessary information, 2,428 billboards have been placed along the OPE route. The Spanish Red Cross, the Autonomous Communities of Andalusia and Valencia and the Ministry of Health are involved in an assistance system that has been implemented. Likewise, there will be trained social assistance personnel who will provide office support in their language. According to Interior, Spain and Morocco have held numerous bilateral meetings in recent months between the technical teams involved in the design of Operation Marhaba 2023 and the OPE 2023, and the results were approved on 17 May in Madrid with the meeting of the Spanish-Moroccan Joint Commission. 

One of the Moroccans in whom FRS has great faith is Mehdi Zaaroui, captain of the Tangier Express ferry. The 32-year-old Doukkala resident has been in charge of the 1,000-passenger ferry and more than 300 vehicles between Tangier-Med and Algeciras for two years. He is one of the eight Moroccan captains in charge of the company's ships on these three shipping lines. In addition, they will incorporate the fast ferry "HSC Poniente Jet". Undergoing a "complete" renovation, according to the shipping company, which ensures "high standards and finishes", the vessel, which can carry up to 330 linear metres of cargo and 640 passengers as well as 180 vehicles, will join the FRS fleet in July. By including this type of ferry "totally renovated and improved", which FRS considers "strategic", the company's offer is improved. 

More than 470 Moroccans, both men and women, make up the company's workforce, accounting for 60% of the nationalities employed, far outnumbering the 27% of Spaniards and the remaining 14% of other nationalities. The reason for this confidence in Moroccans, in Pico's opinion, is their ability and capacity to relate to tourists.

The ideal example is captain Zaaroui who said: "There is training all year round and for the whole team". To welcome diaspora newcomers in the best way and under the best circumstances, these trainings go beyond technical and logistical considerations to include human, psychological and social considerations as well. Despite the increase in the number of moving vehicles and passengers, Operation Marhaba has undergone a major evolution in recent years, becoming more efficient and requiring less waiting time for travellers. 

Shipping lines have begun to rely heavily on digitalisation as a solution, and it is working. According to FRS, there is a growing demand for online ticket purchases. After the COVID-19 pandemic, interest in digitisation increased and its use rose by more than 183%. The shipping company's management has stated that it intends to use digitalisation in 80% of its operations in the coming years.