Rabat- Work on the continental connection project between Morocco and Spain is progressing apace, amid questions about whether it will see the light before the 2030 World Cup, which will be organized by Spain, Morocco and Portugal.
This project – which was called the “Project of the Century” – is receiving international attention given its economic benefits not only for the two countries concerned, but also for the economies of the African and European continents, and the global economy as a whole, according to observers.
The 44th session of the Moroccan-Spanish Joint Committee for Continental Connection across the Strait of Gibraltar is expected to be held in Tangier this June.
During this session, the two government companies, the National Company for the Study of the Strait of Gibraltar in Morocco, and the Spanish Company for Studies of Continental Connection through the Strait of Gibraltar, will present a detailed work plan for the period extending from 2024 to 2026.
workplan
According to data obtained by Al Jazeera Net from the National Company for the Study of the Strait of Gibraltar in Morocco, the work plan for the period 2024-2026 includes a number of axes, including:
- Restructuring and modernizing the work methods of the Moroccan and Spanish companies through the extensive studies and research that have been conducted.
- Cooperation with national and international scientific and technical institutions and institutes.
- Exploring the Earth’s lower geological formations through reconnaissance expeditions on land and at sea.
- Determining the tunnel’s route and facilities through a series of special studies.
- Social, economic, environmental, strategic and legal assessment of the project, in accordance with international standards.
- Initiatives to enhance the project’s status at the local and international levels.
The resources that the plan seeks to use also include new equipment and technology to explore lower geological formations and reduce the risks associated with them.
The work plan for the period 2024-2026 aims to develop the project from the stage of knowing its natural environment to the technical description of this environment, to move to the project implementation stage in the future.
Project beginnings
The continental connection project across the Strait of Gibraltar is not linked to the acceptance of the Moroccan-Spanish-Portuguese bid to organize the 2030 World Cup finals. Rather, the first features of this project appeared in 1979 following a meeting between the late King Hassan II and the former Spanish King Juan Carlos, in which they expressed their desire to work on developing the idea. .
In order to complete this huge project, the two countries established a mixed Moroccan-Spanish committee, and created two companies dedicated exclusively to the studies necessary for the project on the horizon of its completion.
Two complementary cooperation agreements were signed between the two countries in 1980, followed by the creation of a mixed governmental committee composed of members equally from the Spanish and Moroccan sides and which meets periodically to supervise the work program of the Moroccan and Spanish studies companies.
According to data obtained by Al Jazeera Net from the Moroccan company as well, since the establishment of the two companies, several studies have been completed concerned with all aspects.
According to the company, the decision in the next stages of the project depends on completing the explorations that have been identified in order to adopt the appropriate technology for building the tunnel as an underground connection based on the balance of studies completed by the two companies.
Preliminary technical studies
Preliminary studies by experts developed a number of options that were analyzed and studied, taking into account the topographic composition of the Gibraltar area.
According to the Spanish company’s data published on its website, several options for continental connectivity were initially developed, namely:
- A bridge suspended on fixed supports.
- A suspension bridge on floating supports.
- A submerged tunnel supported on the sea floor.
- There is a floating tunnel and a dug tunnel.
Based on a multi-criteria analysis of the different alternatives studied, it was concluded in the mid-1990s that the two most feasible solutions were:
- The bridge is suspended on fixed supports.
- And the dug tunnel.
Marine tunnel option
However, the idea of the suspension bridge was ruled out due to the exceptional dimensions of this proposal, which are very far from what is being implemented at the world level, and the tunnel idea was agreed upon for several considerations:
- It is the solution that has the least impact on maritime navigation, as there is no risk of ships colliding with infrastructure.
- It is the least environmentally friendly and most economical alternative.
- Tunnel digging – even under the seabed – is a well-known technique with extensive experience.
According to the previous source:
- The only possible route would be via the shallower road linking Punta Paloma, west of Tarifa, with Malabata, north of Morocco.
- The distance between the start and end stations on the two banks is 42 km, 28 km of which extends under the sea surface, and the rest will pass through an underground tunnel.
- The tunnel will be designed for the movement of conventional and high-speed trains, in addition to shuttle buses to transport light and heavy vehicles between the two stations located on the two banks.
- In the first phase of the project, a single-rail tunnel with a diameter of 7.9 meters will be implemented, and in the second phase two railway tunnels will be implemented.
The Spanish press reported that the total cost of the sea tunnel project between Morocco and Spain may reach 10 billion euros
The cost of financing the tunnel project
The project returned to the forefront with the announcement of a joint organization for the 2030 World Cup between Morocco, Spain and Portugal, as the two sides stressed – in the meeting of the Moroccan-Spanish Joint Higher Committee held on the first and second of February 2023 – the importance of the continental connection project between the two countries and the real revolution it could bring about. On several levels.
Tangier witnessed the organization of the 43rd session of the Mixed Moroccan-Spanish Committee for Continental Connection across the Strait of Gibraltar in April 2023, 14 years after the 42nd session.
Morocco appointed a new director for the company, indicating a new and strong beginning for the implementation of this project. The Moroccan and Spanish companies worked to review, modify and update previous studies.
In 2023, the Spanish government allocated a budget estimated at 750 thousand euros to complete technical studies for the continental tunnel project, while the Spanish press reported that the total cost of the project may reach 10 billion euros, and its implementation will require international cooperation and joint financing from international banks and the European Union.
Media bubble or does it require waiting?
This project is viewed with great optimism given its significant economic impacts on the region, its importance in facilitating the movement of people and goods between the two continents, and its added value for developing transportation in the Western Mediterranean.
Economist Abdul Nabi Abu Al-Arab believes that the sea tunnel project is the project of the century, given its significant geostrategic, geographical, cultural and civilizational impacts, and given its importance in doubling the levels of trade, economic and tourism exchange.
Abu Al-Arab explained – in a statement to Al Jazeera Net – that given the size of this project and the desire for integration and rapprochement between the two countries it means, it is a political project and its implementation requires a political decision from the two countries, especially since the relationship between them is at its best.
As for university professor and economic expert Badr Zahir Al-Azraq, although he confirmed that the general context related to the tripartite organization of the 2030 World Cup stimulates the completion of the continental connection project between the two countries, he believes that what has been accomplished currently remains little.
He said in an interview with Al Jazeera Net, “There is a will, a vision, and positive studies, but the actual implementation of the project, the announcement of the funding bodies, the passage of technical and technical studies, and setting a specific time for its completion are still unknown until now.”
Azraq pointed out that time is not in the interest of Morocco and Spain, because such projects require a long time that may extend to 5 or 6 years.
In light of the available data, Al-Azraq wonders whether the matter is related to a media bubble or whether it requires more patience and patience while waiting for the actual implementation of this project to begin.
Could it see the light before the World Cup?
Abdel Nabi Abu Al-Arab believes that completing the project before the World Cup depends on two things:
- The political decision between the two countries.
- And finding the necessary financial structure to establish this tunnel.
Abu Al-Arab pointed out that the cost will be large, in addition to the technical, logistical and geographical complications.
He said, “If the technical complications are overcome and the financial structure for this project is provided, I believe it will be completed in 2030, although the matter remains unlikely.”
For his part, Al-Azraq stresses the necessity of exploiting the context of the World Cup to implement this international continental project, which will benefit the global economy as a whole, and not just the Moroccan, Spanish, or continental economy.
He concluded by saying, “If the marine tunnel project – which the region has dreamed of for 30 years – is not completed today in the context of the World Cup, it will never see the light.”
