The Operation Passing of the Strait (OPE) begins this Monday, June 16, with a significant novelty compared to previous editions: the implementation of the new European system for controlling entries and exits (EES, in English), which replaces the manual stamping of passports and automatically registers the fingerprints and facial images of all travelers from countries outside the Schengen area. This measure responds to the new border control regulations of the European Union and affects all boarding ports enabled for the operation.
The 2026 edition, which will last until September 15, expects to exceed 3.5 million passengers and 857,000 vehicles, which would represent an increase of 3% compared to the figures recorded in 2025, when the OPE reached a total of 3,488,885 passengers and 857,784 vehicles transported through 10,536 maritime rotations. This would be the thirty-seventh edition of an operation that constitutes the largest seasonal transit device for people between Europe and Africa.
The Government delegate in Andalusia, Pedro Fernández, requested this Sunday "maximum caution on the roads, plan the trip in advance, and follow the instructions of the authorities and official sources." Fernández stressed that "everything is prepared on the roads, at the state ports, and at the control centers of the General Directorate of Traffic to ensure that the operation is carried out with maximum guarantees of safety and efficiency."
The device mobilizes more than 31,500 professionals and involves agencies from seven ministries: State Ports and the General Directorate of Merchant Marine, the General Directorate of Public Health of the Ministry of Health, the State Security Forces and Corps, the General Directorate of Traffic, and the Delegations and Subdelegations of the Government in the provinces where the boarding ports are located.
