The ports of Algeciras, Tangiers and Tarifa, key points of Operation Crossing the Strait of Gibraltar

Operation Crossing the Strait, which began on 15 June, is a success not only because of the number of passengers, but also because there have been no incidents, largely due to the excellent cooperation between the Moroccan and Spanish authorities. The coordination of the plan carried out for Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE23) developed by the Spanish-Moroccan Joint Commission in conjunction with the security forces of both countries is marking an unprecedented milestone.

If we extrapolate the number of tourists and vehicles that crossed the borders to North Africa through the Strait of Gibraltar in this period, we can see that the flow of passengers meets the figures estimated by the institutions in charge of the operation.

The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) announced a special celebration to commemorate the twentieth anniversary of the port of Tarifa as Schengen External Border on 25 July. The port has welcomed more than 20 million passengers in these 20 years, consolidating its position as the main point of connection with the Moroccan city of Tangier.

APBA has made it clear that in order to access the boarding circuit, it is necessary to purchase a ticket beforehand. Anyone arriving with a ticket for a different day will be sent to a waiting area until it is changed. The port authority has unveiled a logo created by Joaquín Franco featuring the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, who "has been guarding the Strait since 1944", as a way of commemorating the occasion.

With 180,453 and 52,521 passengers respectively, the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa head the list in terms of passenger volume. Tarifa connects with Tangier-Med (Morocco), while Algeciras connects with Ceuta and Tangier-City (Morocco). According to Civil Protection data, a total of 77,480 vehicles have been transported through Spanish ports. Of these, 50,141 correspond to Algeciras and 6,654 to Tarifa. However, the port of Almeria, which registered the dispatch of 12,480 vehicles, has overtaken Tarifa in this indicator.

According to the data provided by Civil Protection, more than 65% of the vehicles transported left from the port of Algeciras; 42% in the direction of Tangiers-Med and 23% in the direction of Ceuta. In total terms, Almeria would be the third Spanish city with the highest traffic of vehicles, accounting for 17% of the total.

The preparation of the shipping companies, capable of receiving more than 360,000 a day, with a 2-hour frequency, and the large number of reception points (18 in Morocco and 6 between France, Spain and Italy) have been the main assets that both Civil Protection and the commissions in charge of the operation have highlighted. Likewise, the drop in ferry and flight fares is helping the influx of passengers to reach better figures than last year. According to the Spanish Interior Ministry, an enhanced security measure will be employed to ensure that travellers have at least minimum health and safety rights. This will result in the mobilisation of 19,441 police officers for Operation Marhaba, also known as OPE 2023.

The OPE is and has always been a very significant event for tourists, residents returning to their home countries to see family and friends and, most importantly, for the governments of Spain and Morocco, which closely follow the functioning of all the teams set up in order to strengthen citizen security.