Updates on the marine tunnel project between Morocco and Spain.

Agadir 24 | Agadir24

In the latest developments in the maritime tunnel project between Morocco and Spain, the Spanish Company for Studies on Fixed Connectivity across the Strait of Gibraltar (SECEGSA) recently announced the issuance of a tender to rent four marine seismometers with an option to purchase, with the aim of studying the seabed within the framework of the tunnel project to be built to connect Spain with Morocco. .

The company is seeking to acquire these four offshore seismometers (OBS) with the aim of conducting a seismic-tectonic study in the Strait of Gibraltar over a period of six months, starting from the date of delivery of the instruments to the Royal Institution and Naval Observatory in San Fernando (Cadiz). The tender value is 488 thousand euros, including taxes, according to the Spanish website “El Diario”.

In 1980, Spain and Morocco signed an agreement for a fixed link project between Europe and Africa. Two companies were created to study the feasibility of the project: the Spanish company (SECEGSA) and the National Company for Studies of the Strait of Gibraltar (SNED) from the Moroccan side. Since then, numerous studies have been conducted to understand the geological, oceanic, seismic and climatic challenges of the region.

According to the tender, three seismographs were deployed in 2014 in cooperation with Spanish naval ships. After multiple studies, the option of building a tunnel instead of a bridge was chosen. The tunnel is expected to extend for a distance of 38.5 kilometers, including 27.7 kilometers under the sea, and will connect “Punta Paloma” near Tarifa with the city of Tangier.
This tunnel is a “strategic project” for the two countries, which they are working on implementing before the 2030 World Cup, which is jointly organized by Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

The tunnel, which will connect Morocco and Spain, and thus between Africa and Europe, will contribute to “strengthening transportation networks between the two countries and creating an unprecedented cooperation space between the European Union and the Maghreb,” according to SECEGSA statements.