Spain : Strait crossings surge past 2 million amid record OPE

Operation Crossing the Strait (OPE) has shattered records this year, with over two million passengers embarking before August 15. A further surge in traffic is anticipated.

According to EFE, Spanish Civil Protection data released on Tuesday revealed that 1,662,707 travelers departed from Spanish ports bound for North Africa, primarily Morocco, during the outbound phase. The return journey saw an additional 465,883 passengers by the same date, totaling 2,143,557 passengers in both directions.

The number of departing passengers increased by 6.7% compared to 2023, with a 9.2% rise in vehicles to 418,913. The ports of Cadiz, Algeciras, and Tarifa handled the majority of this traffic, facilitating the journey of 1,181,410 passengers and 275,668 vehicles to Ceuta and Tangier.

While the return phase saw a slight uptick in vehicles (0.5%) to 11,704, the number of passengers remained 1.8% lower than in 2023. The ports of Cadiz continued to be a crucial hub, with 350,908 passengers and 87,012 vehicles passing through.