The close cooperation between the Spanish and Moroccan ports

The Barceló Hotel in Tangier hosted the 10th Hispano-Moroccan Maritime, Transport and Logistics Meeting organised by the Spanish Chamber of Commerce in the Tangier city.

Atalayar was able to talk to Rafael Olivares Pavón, Deputy Assistant Director General for Operations of the Port of Algeciras, on the occasion of this event and he referred to the objectives of the port of Algeciras and the good cooperation existing between the Spanish and Moroccan ports in the area of the Straits.

What has been the objective of the Port of Algeciras in these conferences? 

We have been involved in these conferences practically from the beginning. There are already 10 editions and we are also sponsors and collaborate in a very active way in the conference. But our main objective of being here and of showing new developments and some important aspects of the port's activity and operations is because we consider the Port of Algeciras to be one of the pillars of traffic in the Straits of Gibraltar.  

And, in this sense, we dedicate a lot of effort and resources to ensure that this traffic is really a maritime bridge between Europe and Africa and that we provide the best service to all the companies, to all the carriers and to all those who ultimately need to use this maritime service for their trade and for their business. 

Cooperation with the Moroccan ports is giving very good results, isn't it?

Very good results. We have a very close collaboration with the port of Tangier Med.   

We have meetings practically every month and practically every week we deal with some subject. We have contacts, we have conversations, we exchange documentation on a daily basis on different aspects of operations and also with the port of Tangier Med. In short, we have a very close collaboration with the two Moroccan ports with which we have traffic. 

The construction of the port of Nador and then also that of Dakhla will contribute to greater activity. And within the Mediterranean, the cohabitation of Spanish ports and Moroccan ports means growth and not confrontation, as some people insist.

It does not have to be a confrontation. We, for example, compete with the port of Tangier Med in container traffic. There we are competitors and each one has its own policy and its own initiative. But in lorry traffic, in ro-ro traffic, and in passenger traffic, we are complementary ports. 

We necessarily have to be coordinated and understand each other, and that is what we do. We have a very close relationship and a very strong collaboration.

It has become clear at the maritime event in Tangiers that Operation Crossing the Strait is a new litmus test for the functioning of all the structures. 

Operation Crossing the Strait is a very important time. There is a lot of traffic. Some call it the biggest movement of people in the world in such a short time. 

Around two and a half million people move through Algeciras in a matter of a month. We have to dedicate a lot of attention, a lot of resources and we have the procedures and we have the operations very well organised and greased so that the passage of Moroccan citizens who live in Europe and come on holiday is as smooth as possible and in the best conditions. And let's not forget that the trucks and the port continue to operate. 

We are trying to ensure that this Operation Crossing the Strait of Gibraltar of passengers does not affect the rest of the port's activities. Because we are not closing the port and leaving it alone. The activity of the port remains the same. 

Therefore, what we are doing is to redouble our efforts, to have a very well-oiled operation so that the passage of passengers takes place in the best conditions and the port continues to function with regard to the rest of the port activity. 

The international situation is complicated, for example, with the issue of the Suez Canal. Has normality been restored or is international trade still facing many problems due to the change of route? 

In fact, normality has not yet returned and this change of route has benefited the ports of the Strait, in Spain and also Tangier Med. Because the change in the route of the shipping companies has meant that traffic in the port of Algeciras has increased even more, as it has in the port of Tangier Med and in other ports in Spain.  

So, this difficult geopolitical situation has meant that we still have to redouble our efforts to attend to this international maritime trade, which is now even more focused on the Strait, demonstrating that the Strait is one of the main nodes in the world in terms of maritime traffic.