Operation Marhaba 2026 has begun to take shape following the meeting of the Moroccan-Spanish joint committee responsible for the crossing operation, held today in Tangier and co-chaired by Khalid Zerouali, Wali and Director of Immigration and Border Control at the Ministry of the Interior, and Virginia Barcones Sanz, Secretary General for Civil Protection and Emergency Situations at the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.
The meeting served to finalise the initial details of the operation that every summer manages the largest seasonal movement of people between Europe and North Africa.
The operation draws on the experience of previous campaigns, which have once again established the Strait as one of the main seasonal mobility corridors between continents.
Operation Marhaba, or the Crossing of the Strait, is one of the key events of the year at the Port of Tangier Med – PHOTO/TANGIER MED PORT AUTHORITY
In 2025, more than 3.57 million passenger journeys and around 850,000 vehicles – according to data from the Ministry of the Interior – were recorded crossing between the two shores, with particularly high peaks at the main ports during the middle weeks of summer. This pattern, which has remained relatively stable year on year, is now being used as a benchmark to fine-tune the planning for 2026.
The first area of focus is once again institutional coordination between Spain and Morocco. The joint structure, comprising the Ministries of the Interior, Transport and Civil Protection, as well as port authorities, remains the operational core of the scheme. The aim is to ensure unified management of traffic in the Strait, particularly during periods of peak demand.
The second area focuses on port and maritime logistics. Ports such as Algeciras and Tangier Med will once again handle the bulk of the flow, necessitating a boost to boarding capacity, ferry frequency and passenger information systems. Experience from previous years has highlighted the need for real-time management to prevent congestion during peak demand periods.
Families wait by their cars to board a ferry to Morocco at the port of Algeciras – REUTERS/JON NAZCA
The third structural element is the seasonal return of the Moroccan diaspora residing in Europe, which remains the main driver of the operation. This flow dictates all planning: from the organisation of routes to the deployment of healthcare, security measures and consular support on both sides of the Strait.
In parallel, the authorities have focused on anticipation and improving operational coordination, with particular attention to the digitisation of traveller information and optimisation of waiting times at ports and on roads.
With this meeting in Tangier, Operation Marhaba 2026 enters an advanced stage of preparation, pending the phased deployment of the arrangements, which will be activated in stages before the start of the peak summer travel period.