Spain to repatriate more than 1,600 people from Morocco  

More than 1,600 people, including Spanish nationals and residents, will be repatriated on Wednesday and Thursday via two ferries, linking Tanger Med port to Malaga. 

Quoting diplomatic sources, EFE reports that the first ferry will leave today, early in the afternoon, and will transport 800 passengers and 280 vehicles, while Thursday, another one should transport 850 people and 320 cars.

The two other ships have been scheduled for next week (10 and 11), by the shipping company Trasmediterránea, and two others for June 17 and 18 at 2 p.m., El Faro de Ceuta reported.

The majority (two-thirds) of passengers to board this week’s ferries are Moroccans residing in Spain, the sources stressed.

Although they are commercial ferries and passengers pay for their tickets, the ships, which arrive empty from Malaga, have been negotiated with the Moroccan government and are chartered by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Spanish consulates are in charge of prioritizing the cases considered to have medical or family reasons.

EFE recalls that 12,000 Spaniards stranded in Morocco were able to return to Spain, first by land, when the borders of Ceuta and Melilla were exceptionally opened at the end of March, then by two planes and two ferries chartered on different dates by the Spanish government.