The Spanish shipping company Balearia announced on Thursday, January 23, the upcoming launch of a fully electric maritime line connecting the ports of Tarifa to Cadiz and Tangier City.
This public-private project for the first 100% green maritime corridor between Spain and Morocco will contribute to the electrification of port infrastructures on both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar, said Balearia’s president, Adolfo Utor Martínez, during the presentation of this project at the 45th edition of the International Tourism Fair in Madrid.
The new line will be the fastest and most sustainable corridor between Europe and Africa with two electric ships specifically designed for the Tarifa-Tangier route, he added, noting that this project, unique in its kind in the world, is a reference in terms of modernization and innovation.
The construction of the new electric ferries for the Tarifa-Tangier route is part of Balearia’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050, he stated.
On this occasion, the Moroccan ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, affirmed that this is an “innovative, sustainable, and forward-looking” project that will further strengthen the connections between Morocco and Spain, while consolidating the joint project of the two countries for the organization of the 2030 World Cup.
Benyaich emphasized that this initiative represents an opportunity for Morocco and Spain to consolidate their partnership in the field of maritime trade and contribute to environmentally respectful management.
“This project reflects the shared vision of the two countries to transform the 14 kilometers that separate them into an example of innovative and sustainable cooperation,” she noted, adding that this initiative not only strengthens the historical ties between Morocco and Spain but also paves the way for new perspectives for an environmentally friendly future focused on shared prosperity.
For his part, the Spanish Secretary of State for Transport and Sustainable Mobility, José Antonio Santano Clavero, stated in a declaration to MAP that this is a “symbolic project that embodies the values uniting the two neighboring and brotherly countries through a sustainable maritime line connecting the north and south” of the Mediterranean, while meeting the demands of the future.
For his part, the president of the Port Authority of Algeciras, Gerardo Landaluce, said that this first sustainable maritime line between Morocco and Spain is likely to strengthen collaboration and partnership between the ports on both sides of the Strait and the historical ties between the two Kingdoms.