Morocco is active in the organization of Operation Marhaba 2021, after the cancellation of last year’s edition due to a health crisis. The authorities would opt for the passage of MRE by sea.
Last week, the management of the Moroccan merchant navy asked shipping companies operating routes between the two shores of the Strait of Gibraltar to present their “fleet plan as part of the preparations for Operation Marhaba 2021”, says EFE, stressing, however, that for the moment, neither Spain nor Morocco have officially confirmed the holding of the Operation, which generally lasts three months (June 15 – September 15).
Morocco has closed its land borders and suspended flights with more than forty countries “until further notice” and entry into the territory is subject to the presentation of a PCR test dating at least 72 hours and, for foreigners, proof of a hotel reservation. However, transit through the strait has not been interrupted, allowing ships to continue transporting goods and vehicles to and from Morocco and Europe. Better still, shipping companies like Balearia and Trasmediterránea have repatriated many Spaniards stranded in Morocco to Spain and returned empty. Only vehicles with European or diplomatic registration were allowed on these ships.
If the holding of Operation Marhaba is confirmed by the competent authorities, the ships will have to relax the conditions of access. For example, they will have to admit passengers in both directions, as well as vehicles with any license plate, which also allows a Schengen visa (which is not currently issued) to serve as a travel document.
“We have the logistical capacity. We just need a political signal to start loading passengers, ”said an official from one of the shipping companies who requested anonymity. “It would suffice to double the frequency of the boats between Algeciras and Tangier to allow a good Operation Marhaba to be carried out,” said another. The evolution of the epidemiological situation in the kingdom, with the current vaccination campaign, will be decisive in allowing Morocco to authorize the holding of the 2021 edition of Operation Transit.
In 2019, Operation Marhaba enabled 3,340,045 Moroccans living abroad (MRE) and in particular in Europe and 760,215 vehicles to cross the strait (round trip) to spend the summer holidays in Morocco. In 2020, it was finally canceled, after several months of uncertainty, due to the Covid-19 health crisis.
