€180 from Carlos today. Ferry 2 hours late (no surprise)

Reported elsewhere earlier this summer that vehicle paperwork was done on the ferry. Not the case today, new procedure at the normal customs location. Hand over registration and passport, get credit card thing back. All done and out in 15 minutes


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Hi all,
What’s the best ferry crossing from Spain to Morocco. What are your preferred options?
Can you just rock up and get a ticket, or is it best to get one in advance?
... and what if your early or late at arrivals?
I’m looking to drive down the west coast once into Morocco and looking for ease and time rather than cost

Thanks

No need to book in advance you can just turn up and go, I always get an open return so I don't have to worry about being at the port for a particular time.

Algeciras - Tanger Med is the preferred crossing for many

We have soft luggage on our bikes. How concerned need we be for them being left unattended while the ferry is crossing?

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There is also another ferry route from Tarifa (a little further south along the coast) to Tanger too - it's a fast catamaran ferry and takes less than an hour.

Security wise, like any ferry, once the ship is under sail the vehicle deck/s are closed to passengers. You're unlikely to have anything stolen by deck crew, but if you're concerned at all, unmount it from your bike and take it with you - electronics in the cockpit area are a given of course.

It might also be an idea (although I've found it by no means essential) to consider something like the pack-safe mesh covers for your soft bags if you plan to spend any time away from your bikes sight-seeing in towns and tourist attractions while en-route south. Nothing will stop the determined thief of course, but most opportunists will move on.

Jx

The Tangier-med port is very professional compared to some others, deffo the way to go. No one will touch anything there, booths for changing money, buying insurance. Grand job. Ferries safe as any I might suggest.

The one thing i would say is to go early. Get your ticket first thing in the morning, and get a sailing to arrive earlier in the day rather than later, just so you dont end up driving in the dark on your first spin in Morocco.

Merv.

I don't think you need to worry about that. I've done the trip about 4 times, and access is not allowed to the car decks whilst the ferry is in motion.

Common sense suggests you don't leave your passport, Rolex watch, & money in your soft luggage (you can't leave your passport in the luggage anyway, you'll need it to do immigration pre-clearance on the ferry). Beyond that, I think the odds are very low that anyone would go digging through your luggage.

Michael

Hi Everyone

A south African friend needs to book a ferry ticket to Morocco in order to get his Spanish visa. Has anyone got any recommendations

Thanks,

Balearia, FRS, Trasmeditteranae, and Africa Morocco Link (AML) all cross Spain to Morocco

The ferry trip from the Gibraltar area to Morocco is short, in some cases it only takes about 90 minutes.

For that reason, I don't really think it matters what ferry company your friend uses - it's not like he will be depending on the quality of the food or the comfort level of the bed in his cabin.

Do be aware, though, that there are two different ferry terminals in Morocco. The biggest one, and the one most ferry companies use, is called "Tanger Med". It is quite a long distance from Tangier city. The other ferry terminal, used only by one or two companies, and with less frequent service (meaning, not every 60 to 90 minute departures like Tanger Med) is very close to Tangier city.

So, if your friend has to go to Tangier city to get his visa, it would be more convenient for him to take a ferry to the smaller port near Tangier city.

Michael

https://www.niferry.co.uk/new-brexit...-to-uk-checks/

I suppose such routes must exist already and it's not a passenger ferry, but new deal/greater frequency and direct to Mk might ease shipping vehicles to or from Mk?

I don't know what the status of Malaga van delivery vans is right now either, and if prices have been affected by Brexit complications.

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Initially it sounds interesting but when you dig deeper its not so perfect.

It will likely be freight service and possibly no passengers
Company behind it was only formed in December (I think) and has no ships

It would also have to come in at under £1000 for a vehicle and a passenger to get from the UK to Tanger Med to be a viable alternative to the current options.

I have a friend who runs a shipping company keeping me informed of the developments

Continuing tension with repoorts stating there will be no Spain-Morocco ferries this summer for Operation Marhaba.

This from Morocco World News: https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/202...-spanish-ports

And from El Pais (in Spanish): https://elpais.com/espana/2021-06-06...Q1nMpcHb7_5nRg

Translation:

Morocco frustrates Operation Crossing the Strait by allowing only ships from France and Italy
Rabat, which will resume air connections from June 15, justifies the measure to avoid a rebound in the covid

Operation Paso del Estrecho (OPE) will not run this year through Algeciras, where the largest flow of travelers is registered, nor through any of the other Spanish ports, such as Valencia, Alicante and Almería. As happened last summer, the Moroccan government has adopted preventive health measures and Morocco can only be reached by sea through the French port of Sète and Genoa, in Italy. However, the air connections, which were suspended since March, will be opened progressively from next Tuesday, June 15, according to the Moroccan Foreign Ministry this Sunday afternoon through a statement.


The Foreign Ministry has made no mention of the borders with Ceuta and Melilla, which have remained closed since March 2020 due to the pandemic.

Operation Crossing the Strait, known in Morocco as Marhaba, was conceived in 1987. It usually begins in mid-June and ends in September, although it requires several months of prior coordination between various countries. In its latest editions, the operation regulated the passage from Europe to Morocco of three million passengers each summer and almost 800,000 vehicles

This year, Moroccans living abroad who embark in Sète or Genoa will have to undergo a PCR test prior to boarding and, once on board, they will undergo another test.

Morocco has arranged two groups of countries to control the flow of travelers by plane. In a first list, called A, are those that have good indicators regarding the control of the pandemic. This is where Spain and the rest of the European Union are located for the moment. Travelers from these countries must present a vaccination certificate or a negative PCR test.

In list B are countries that do not have "accurate statistics" on the development of the pandemic or are experiencing a severe spread of the latest variants of the virus. Travelers coming from these countries must have an “exceptional authorization” before embarking on the trip, they will have to present a PCR test carried out 48 hours before boarding and once they land in Morocco they will have to keep a 10-day quarantine.

Morocco took very drastic preventive measures from the beginning of the pandemic. But the evolution of the health crisis in this country of 36 million inhabitants has been very favorable in recent months and the Government has decided to relax the restrictions. Vaccinated people now number 9.1 million, of which 5.8 million have already received the second dose.

Last year there was great expectation about whether Morocco would cancel this operation. The Foreign Minister, Naser Burita, only cleared up the doubt on June 22, when there was barely a week left to begin. On that occasion, he said: “Operation Marhaba is a concept that needs to be prepared for since April and that requires coordination with several countries. It is not a simple passage, but an animation with cultural activities and fun. It is obvious and natural that the Marhaba operation, as we know it, with its preparation and programming, will not take place ”.

In Spain, the director of the Center for the Coordination of Health Alerts and Emergencies (CCAES), Fernando Simón, described last year the decision taken by Morocco as "very prudent". The president of the Junta de Andalucía, the popular Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla, also welcomed the “prudence” of Rabat.

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Tours to Morocco, Iceland, Arctic Circle, Portugal, Alps, Pyrenees, Eastern Europe, Corsica, and UK weekend tours.

Ignoring the increasing diplomatic tensions between Spain and Morocco, one reason given for excluding Spain is to limit the number of arrivals so Morocco can manage the influx safely.

The Spanish ports and port workers unions aren't happy, stating huge revenue and job losses if traffic can't resume.

A quick look at ferries from Sete yesterday showed most sailings in September are full already unless you travel without a vehicle. With the expected huge number of campervans etc looking to travel this autumn I doubt the France/Italy routes will be able to cater for the demand.

Now the UK has left the EU more long term travellers are looking to Morocco to get round the 90 EU visa issues post Brexit

That's a very reasonable thought.

My guess - this is purely speculation on my part - is that sometime later this summer, perhaps mid-July or August, ferries from Spain will resume normal operations. I say this because I think there will be a pushback from both the Moroccan diaspora in Europe (who object to the higher prices and limited availability of ferries) and Moroccan families in country (who object to lost business, and inability to re-unite with family from abroad).

Just a guess... but it will be politically difficult for the Moroccan government to keep the Spanish ferry restrictions in place if COVID remains under control in Morocco.

Here in Canada, we're already seeing a lot of pushback against the border closure between Canada and the USA, with public opinion strongly in favour of allowing fully vaccinated travelers to cross the border without restrictions. I think public opinion in Morocco will be similar.

Michael