The departure phase of Morocco’s “Marhaba 2026” operation, supervised by the Mohammed V Foundation for Solidarity, is proceeding smoothly, with transit at Tanger Med port running with what officials describe as perfect fluidity. A reception system set up at the Mediterranean rest area near the port has helped streamline traffic by processing bus and car passengers before they even reach the port itself.
Active since August 18 and running through September 6, the system relies on teams from the various shipping companies operating the Tanger Med-Algeciras route, alongside Tanger Med Port Authority staff managing embarkation operations, including the “fixed ticket” procedure. At the rest area, Moroccans living abroad process their tickets, complete administrative formalities, confirm departure times and check in before heading to the port. The bus passenger support system has so far assisted 3,961 passengers travelling on 72 buses and 11 minibuses toward their countries of residence via the Tanger Med-Algeciras crossing.
State news agency MAP observed smooth port access on Sunday, along with significantly reduced processing times for passport verification and vehicle customs checks, aided by continuous mobilization of the various services involved.
Digitalization and an optical character recognition system for processing vehicle transit, installed and managed by the Tanger Med Port Authority, have further sped up customs procedures, cutting waiting time before boarding.
Several Moroccans living abroad interviewed by MAP praised the close support and social and medical assistance provided under Marhaba 2026, including at the Foundation’s 26 reception spaces, 6 of them abroad and 20 in Morocco, and said the Tanger Med departure system had cut the time needed to reach the boarding dock from the port entrance to no more than 45 minutes.
Mobilizing roughly 1,400 social workers, doctors and nurses, the Foundation has provided medical and social assistance to 50,399 people so far this year, including 6,062 who received medical aid, 2,373 assisted with customs procedures and 478 helped with transport. As of August 22, the broader Marhaba operation had recorded the arrival of 3,539,761 Moroccans living abroad, 51.25 percent of them by sea.
