Operation Marhaba 2026: 154,000 passengers and 41,000 vehicles recorded in second week

During the second week of Operation Marhaba 2026, there was a noticeable uptick in crossings between Spain and Morocco, with both passenger and vehicle traffic surpassing last year's figures. Notably, the Almería-Nador route emerged as a key maritime link, overtaking the Tarifa-Tangier Ville route in terms of passenger numbers for the first time.

The Spanish Directorate-General for Civil Protection and Emergencies revealed that the Almería-Nador line accounted for 9.3% of total embarkations during the second week, compared to 8.3% for the previously dominant Tarifa-Tangier Ville route.

In total, 154,095 passengers and 41,466 vehicles crossed on 942 ferry services traveling to and from the ports of Algeciras, Tarifa, and others involved in the operation.

Compared to the same period in 2025, the number of passengers increased by 1.8%, while vehicle traffic saw a 1% rise.

Despite long queues at the Ceuta border crossing with Morocco, the source reported no incidents during embarkation. The ports along the Strait of Gibraltar maintained their position as key transit hubs, handling 75.5% of the total traffic. The Algeciras-Tanger Med route led with 46%, followed by Algeciras-Ceuta at 21.2%.

During the initial two weeks, 695 social assistance interventions and 108 medical interventions were recorded at the ports of Alicante, Almería, Málaga, Tarifa, Valencia, Algeciras, and Motril.