The Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA) has launched the preparations for the next two campaigns of the Operation Crossing of the Strait (OPE) with the tender for the vehicle management service and information for passengers at the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa for the years 2026 and 2027. The contract, with a base tender budget of 2.54 million euros and an estimated value of 4.2 million euros, has a duration of two years and includes the possibility of two annual extensions.
The OPE is the mechanism that every year is activated by the General Directorate of Civil Protection and Emergencies of the Ministry of the Interior to facilitate the crossing of the Strait for the hundreds of thousands of Maghreb citizens residing in Europe who travel to their countries of origin during the summer. The scale of the phenomenon at the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa has steadily increased in recent years: in the 2025 campaign, more than three million passengers and nearly 659,000 vehicles passed through both port facilities between June and September, combining the outbound and return phases. These figures reflect a constant increase from the 2.48 million passengers and 540,000 vehicles recorded in 2022.
In addition to this summer flow, there is an increasingly relevant factor: the growing number of Maghrebs residing in national territory who also cross the Strait, which increases the possibility of unforeseen traffic spikes and forces the operation to remain in a constant state of alert. Additionally, heavy vehicle traffic exceeded 500,000 units during 2025, a figure that highlights the need for a truck management and organization service in certain circumstances, such as the horticultural campaigns from Morocco or situations of adverse weather conditions in the Strait.
Although the OPE constitutes the largest effort of the year, the contract also covers other periods when the ports of Algeciras and Tarifa experience spikes in traffic, such as Holy Week, Christmas, Ramadan, or the Feast of the Lamb, as well as sporting events, seasonal worker campaigns, and any unforeseen situation that may disrupt port operations.
The service has been divided into two distinct lots. The first, endowed with 2.42 million euros, encompasses the management and channeling of light vehicles, trucks, and passengers from their entry into the port facility until boarding for Ceuta or Tangier. This lot includes five levels of deployment depending on traffic intensity: at peak traffic times during the OPE's outbound phase, the device can reach 42 assistants and 2 supervisors per shift only at the Port of Algeciras. The service is provided in three daily shifts over 24 hours. Additionally, the lot includes a budget of 800,000 euros to cover reinforcements and additional services in case of unforeseen needs, with the capacity to mobilize personnel within a maximum of eight hours.
The second lot, with a budget of 121,000 euros, focuses on passenger assistance and information during the OPE period. Since most travelers are unaware of both the Spanish language and port facilities, the personnel of this service must have knowledge of French, and at least half of the staff must speak and understand Arabic. Their functions include managing electronic information panels and loudspeaker equipment, resolving incidents, and conducting surveys on service perception by users.