Operation Marhaba 2021: “A Loss Of 1.15 Billion Euros For Spain” (La Razon)

The Spanish news outlet “La Razon” assessed that the overall shortfall of the elimination of Spanish ports from “Operation Marhaba 2021” is estimated at 1.15 billion euros, including 500 million as turnover for the crossing of the Strait.

Numbers suggest that Moroccans travelling annually through Spain towards Morocco spend around 1.150 million euros on: hotels, food, ferry tickets, gas stations… “Money that will completely evaporate this year”, writes La Razon.

For some sectors, such as shipping, the loss is more than significant. As the commercial director of the company FRS said on Antena 3 Noticias, “In terms of invoicing, the crossing of the strait alone represents 500 million euros”. An activity is developing around these boats which will also be seriously impacted.

For his part, Manuel Piedra, president of Aesbathe association of contractors of port services in the bay of Algeciras, told EFE that “each stopover of a ship in a port generates thousands of euros of turnover in many sectors: the pilot, the tug, the supplier, the one who collects the waste, the laundry, a whole amalgam of companies of services, ”

Same as Piedra, Head of the Federation of Citizen Services in Campo de Gibraltar Workers’ Commissions, Miguel Alberto Díaz, assured that this measure “prolongs the heartbreaking situation experienced by hundreds of companies and endangers the present and future of thousands of jobs in ports, including fleet and land personnel of shipping companies, passenger assistance, port authorities, travel agencies, road transport, mooring, reception, gas stations and so on…”