The Diplomat
The Ministry of Transport and Logistics has called on Moroccan shipping companies providing connections with Spain to resume activity by sea between the two countries hours after the visit of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to Rabat, which has ended one of the worst bilateral crises between the countries to date, reports Europa Press.
“Following the announcement of the immediate and gradual resumption of the activity of passenger transport by sea, the shipping companies that operate the lines serving the Moroccan ports of Tangier Med, Tangier city, Nador and Al Hoceima, are called to resume their activity”, the Ministry announced on Friday afternoon in a statement reported by the media ‘Le Matin’.
For its part, the Moroccan Ministry of Health announced the “temporary” provisions of the health protocol for travellers by sea, which include the negative result of a PCR test of less than 72 hours and the COVID-19 certificate, according to the aforementioned media.
This decision was communicated hours after the meeting between the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, and King Mohamed VI in Rabat, in which it was decided to “immediately and gradually” re-establish maritime and passenger connections until the opening of all frequencies, as well as to begin preparations for the ‘Paso del Estrecho’ operation.
Likewise, during this meeting, they agreed that the normalisation of the movement of people and goods would be re-established in an orderly manner, including the appropriate customs and people control devices on land, which includes Ceuta and Melilla, although they were not mentioned at any time, and at sea.
This involves, as the president explained, the reopening of the customs office that already existed in Melilla and was closed in 2018 and the opening of a new one in Ceuta, as well as customs posts on the Moroccan side. Hours after the resumption of diplomatic ties and after two years of suspension, passenger transport by sea between the two countries will resume.
