Morocco announces 572 weekly maritime trips as part of Operation Marhaba 2022

Morocco will enable 32 ships to ensure 572 weekly trips between Spain and Morocco this summer, as part of Operation Marhaba 2022, allowing a total capacity of 471,000 passengers and 124,000 vehicles per week. The Director of the National Department of Commercial Navigation, affiliated with the Ministry of Transport and Logistics, Aman Fathallah, revealed the logistics behind the new operation, following a two-year stint due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fathallah said that the Ministry of Transport and Logistics has developed a sailing plan, compatible with the ports’ infrastructure and management capacities of the expected flow. In a statement to MAP, Fathallah said, after the meeting of the Moroccan-Spanish mixed commission in charge of the transit operation, that 14 ships will be mobilized on the main Tangiers-Mediterranean-Algeciras axis, explaining that these ships can carry out about 47 daily shifts. The official indicated that to facilitate managing the flow of transport traffic, tickets this year will only be available for pre-booking and prior reservations, including short trips. According to Fathalla, the ministry is once again following the guidelines of the Marhaba Operation manual, which compelled maritime companies to respect safety and security requirements while providing quality services onboard ships that respond to the needs of travelers. The Marhaba operation has been running between Morocco and Spain since 1986, managing round-trip transits for members of the Moroccan and North African community residing abroad, who travel from several countries in Europe to their homelands during the summer season. During the last Marhaba operation in 2019, more than 3,340,000 passengers and over 760,000 vehicles crossed the strait through Spanish ports during the departure and return seasons between June 15 and September 15, noting records of 3% and 3.5% increases for passengers and vehicles respectively, compared to 2018.