The Diplomat
The Strait Crossing Operation, coordinated by the Ministry of the Interior through the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Emergencies, has exceeded between June 15 and July 26 the million passengers.
Specifically, 1,020,606 citizens have crossed from Spain to North Africa during this period, which is 6.1% more than in 2022. The number of vehicles embarked amounted to 246,694, 7% higher than the previous year’s figure, as reported yesterday by the Ministry of Interior in a press release.
The ports of Algeciras, Tarifa, Malaga, Motril, Almeria, Alicante, Valencia, Ceuta and Melilla are participating in the Strait Crossing Operation. In the Departure Phase, the ports of the Bay of Algeciras, in Cadiz, are the ones that concentrate the highest volume of traffic, 70.9% of the total. From Algeciras 60.1 % of the vehicles have departed and from Tarifa 10.8 %. On the other side of the Strait, the ports receiving the highest volume of vehicles are those of Tangier-Med, (43.3 %), Tangier Ville (10.8 %) and Ceuta (17.4 %).
On the other hand, 123,957 citizens have already returned to Spain from North Africa, 9.6% more than on the same date in 2022. During this period, the citizens who have passed through Spanish ports have been provided with health and social assistance when required. So far, 660 health and 2,234 social services have been provided.
Likewise, the coming 29, 30 and 31 July and 1 August are contemplated in the Special Plan as one of the periods of greatest influx and traffic of people in this Departure Phase. In addition, in the Return Phase, the largest crowds are expected to occur on August 29, 30 and 31 and September 1.
Thousands of citizens of North African origin cross Spain every year to go to and return from their countries of origin during the summer period. Operation Crossing the Strait 2023 was activated last June 15 and will last until September 15. The security system is made up of 19,441 police officers. This figure represents a 21.4 percent more than that of the OPE of 2022, the first one after two years of pandemic, in full recovery of the bilateral diplomatic relations and in which more than three million Maghrebians transited through Spain.
The Ministry of the Interior coordinates this 34th edition of the Operation Crossing the Strait, in which numerous organizations and institutions participate, such as the State Ports and the General Directorate of the Merchant Marine, belonging to the Ministry of Transport, Mobility and Urban Agenda; the General Directorate of Traffic, of the Ministry of the Interior; the State Meteorological Agency, of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge; the General Directorate of Public Health of the Ministry of Health and the Red Cross, among others.
