In a move that promises to revolutionize transportation and trade between two continents, Spain and Morocco are moving forward with plans for the construction of a underwater tunnel that connects them, with an eye toward completion for the 2030 Soccer World Cupan event that also involves Portugal as co-host.
This project, valued at approximately USD 7,534 million seeks to be one of the most ambitious transport links in the world, not only by uniting Europe with Africa but for its journey through an active geological fault.
Strategic planning work is already underway, with the Moroccan National Strait Studies Company and SECEGSA (Spanish Society of Studies for Fixed Communication through the Strait of Gibraltar) at the forefront of efforts to materialize an idea that was born almost a century ago.
This project, compared in magnitude with the Channel Tunnel between Dover and Calais, aims to connect Punta Paloma, near Tarifa in southern Spain, with Malabata, in the vicinity of Tangier, northern Morocco. Covering an underwater distance of 28 kilometers, the tunnel will reach depths of up to 475 meters below sea level.
The importance of this project transcends physical borders, by estimating an annual flow of 12.8 million passengers and 13 million tons of cargostrengthening not only tourism but also trade between the two continents.
“We are beginning a new stage in the revitalization of the fixed link project through the Strait of Gibraltar, which we launched in 1981,” the developers highlighted. This transport would reduce travel times between the two main cities, Casablanca and Madridfrom about 12 hours by car and about two hours by plane, to just five and a half hours by train.
The project is not without challenges. The scheduled route for the tunnel crosses the Azores-Gibraltar geological fault, an area of regular seismic activity that adds difficulty to the already ambitious project. Still, the perceived benefits in terms of mobility and economy They seem to tip the balance towards the effort and investment necessary for its realization.
This ambitious link has been under consideration since 1930and although it had several moments of momentum over time, it seems that the next Soccer World Cup will serve as a definitive catalyst for its development. Those responsible for the project seek to establish a clear roadmap that covers the financial and strategic aspects essential to carry out construction, aware of the eyes of the world on this monumental engineering effort.
Although there are still details to be refined, such as the specific start of the works and the total final cost, the underwater tunnel between Spain and Morocco It is shaping up to be one of the most important transcontinental infrastructure projects of the century. Even the Spanish Minister of Transport, Raquel Sánchez, stated: “We are going to promote the studies of a project of maximum geostrategic importance for our countries and for relations between Europe and Africa.”
Furthermore, in March, Oscar Puentehe Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility of Spainpaid a visit to Morocco with the objective of examining infrastructure and transportation projects in Rabat. Puente highlighted the progress observed in said plans and announced that A date for a next meeting will be determined soon.seeking to promote progress in studies for the development of the aforementioned infrastructure.
During that visit, the Spanish representative also held a meeting with Nizar Baraka, Minister of Infrastructure and Water of Moroccowith the intention of discussing port cooperation between Spain and Morocco and the interest that Spanish companies have in participating in projects within the African country.
