Tánger y Motril conformarán una nueva ruta de unión entre Marruecos y España
The route inaugurated on the 30th November between the ports of Motril, in Granada and Tangier, thanks to the Balearia company, will be dedicated to the transport of passengers between the North African country and the peninsular coast. The new route will serve as a reinforcement to the rest of the maritime routes that link both nations, this being one of the routes potentially most used by tourists from both Spain and the Alaouite kingdom. The company Balearia will offer its customers daily passenger traffic via the ship "Volcán de Tauce", which has a capacity of around 1,100 people.
This sea route was launched after a long wait due to the coronavirus pandemic. This maritime route offers numerous advantages as it becomes another entry and exit for goods traffic. In addition, the port of Motril is characterised by a very positive commercial balance, in fact, exports already represent 42% of its sales opportunities. The port of Motril is also served by the lines linking Nador and Al Hoceima via the Transmediterranea line. This route will mean a great economic impulse and a new range for the development of new import and export opportunities.
The president of the Port Authority of Motril, José García Fuentes, declared the great work carried out to re-establish this line before the end of the year. In this sense, it is the second route of Balearia in this Andalusian port. The company's Cargo Director, Maximiliano Bermejo, pointed out that the connection will serve to extend and improve the economic and commercial conditions of the region, and that the main objective is to extend the transport offer between the Strait of Gibraltar and the Alboran Sea. This is why the company is making a great effort to ensure that the quality of the service is the best possible.
Maritime transport continues to be one of the essential pillars for many companies, especially when it comes to large volumes of cargo. This is why this commercial port, located in Granada, plays a key role due to its infrastructure and magnificent geographical location. Motril is characterised by being a commercial port, as well as a fishing and sports port, with direct accessibility due to its good land communications. It is managed by the Port Authority of Motril and is considered a port of general state interest. This initiative is in addition to other similar actions which have been implemented in recent years.
The regular line operates by means of the traffic known as ro-ro, that is, the transport of lorries loaded with goods leaving Spain for export to Africa and in the opposite direction. Huge quantities of products are moved from Morocco, from fruit and vegetables, to automobiles, to the merchandise of textile giants such as Inditex and Mango, as long as the port and customs authorities allow it. Mainly, the line linking the Peninsula with Morocco was operated by the German company FRS until 2018. After the pandemic, everything came to a standstill and the company took its fleet with it, as so far it has not been able to recover all its investment.
Currently, the port enclave of Tangier Med covers 1,000 hectares and is divided into two terminals and the passenger port, with boarding piers, control areas and the maritime station. In addition, this logistics hub connects with 186 ports in the world and can handle nine million containers and seven million passengers. The reactivation of the maritime line with North Africa is a boost for the transport of goods. Regarding the departures from Motril, the ferry has a daily rotation, they will be at 12 noon. The line was operating, but without passengers.
The lifting of the restrictions due to the coronavirus means that Motril continues to be a port of reference, not only for Spain, but also for the centre of Europe. According to the president of the Balearia company, José García Fuentes, "this news is very favourable, so that our company has been able to reopen its office in Granada with the appropriate staff to attend to the needs of the clients. In case of doubts, we are here to offer the best advice and provide effective solutions for maritime transport".