Almería port and Morocco strengthen coordination for Operation Marhaba 2026

The president of the Almería Port Authority (APA) in Spain, Rosario Soto, recently met with Morocco's consul general in Almería, Soumia Fathi, and Colonel Latifa Karbal of the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity. As reported by Info Puertos, the meeting aimed to bolster coordination and cooperation for the success of the Strait Crossing Operation (OPE), running concurrently with Morocco’s Operation Marhaba.

This meeting was a platform to discuss enhancements made at the port site for OPE 2026, such as increased staffing, improved infrastructure, enhanced services, and better accessibility. These improvements represent a €1.6 million investment by the APA. Following the port of Algeciras, Almería is pivotal in maritime traffic between Morocco and Europe. This year, the Moroccan company Africa Morocco Link (AML) has introduced routes from the port to Nador, bringing the number of carriers operating between Spain and Morocco via Almería to four.

The initiative seeks to provide «the best possible service to travelers and ensure smooth boarding». Morocco’s consul general emphasized her office's recent efforts to ensure safe transit, coordinated with the APA, «for the hundreds of thousands of Moroccans living in Europe who return home through this port during the summer holidays».

In support of this, the consulate opened an office at the port on June 15 to offer «on-site consular, administrative, and social assistance to Moroccan citizens in transit», while also streamlining logistics coordination with the Spanish authorities.