Malaga and Morocco join forces to convince shipping companies to invest in direct line
The city's Port Authority has brought together the main transport logistics companies from both sides of the Strait of Gibraltar in a bid to create a united front
Malaga and Morocco are in talks to establish a shipping line to permanently connect the two shores. Previously, the capital of the Costa del Sol capital has had a direct connection to Tangier, but it has never been successful enough to be maintained over time. The Port Authority and transport companies, however, still believe that this service is feasible and economically viable.
For this reason, representatives of the Port Authority and managers of the main logistics operators on both sides held a meeting on 22 September, with the aim of creating a united front and convincing shipowners to commit to this route. "The port and the road hauliers of Morocco and Spain are working together to prove that Malaga is a suitable location for traffic between Europe and Africa," said president of the Port Authority Carlos Rubio.
"We have had an impressive response - representatives of all the main companies from Morocco and Spain have come and now we are going to negotiate with shipowners so that they see the great potential of a connection with Tangier," he added. To make the proposal more attractive, Rubio highlighted the improvements that have taken place in the customs service, the border inspection point (Pif) and the inspection, surveillance and regulation of exports service (Soivre).
Forecasts point to a traffic of 800,000 lorries on board ships between Morocco and Spain in 2030
"We are working very closely together, proof of which is the transit through the port right now," the Port Authority president said. He added that importers have expressed a high level of satisfaction with the services provided, "especially for perishable products", which are the ones that require a greater speed in the procedures.
Lorry traffic aboard ships expected to significantly increase
The meeting was organised by the Port Authority of Malaga and the Moroccan authorised economic operators club (OAS), with the aim of strengthening exchange and opportunities for cooperation between Moroccan and Spanish logistics and port stakeholders. The initiative is part of a strategy that assesses the dynamism of the future flow of goods between the Kingdom of Alaoui and the EU, for which Spain is a natural gateway. The meeting also included a visit to the port and the border control point.
The main international organisations (IMF, World Bank, among others) project sustained annual GDP growth of between 3.5% and 4% for Morocco until 2030, driven especially by strategic sectors such as agri-food and the automotive industry. Spain is Morocco's leading trading partner in terms of bilateral trade volume within the EU.
Traffic carrying 425,000 lorries was recorded in the Strait of Gibraltar in 2024 and the forecast points to an average annual growth of 10%, meaning 800,000 lorries in 2030. The Port of Malaga is committed to creating a direct bridge with Morocco, for which it is necessary to reactivate a regular Malaga-Tangier line to allow the rapid interconnection of goods between the two cities.
