The Tanger Med Passenger Port expects this week one of the main peaks of the return phase of Operation Marhaba 2026. The period between August 25 and 29 will concentrate a significant part of the journeys of Moroccans residing abroad who return to their countries of residence after the summer holidays.
Given the anticipated increase in flows, Tanger Med recommends checking the traffic forecast schedule available on its website before starting the journey. The port authority also advises passengers with flexibility in their travel dates to avoid peak days to reduce waiting times at access points and pre-boarding areas.
Access to the Tanger Med Passenger Port is only allowed to those with a confirmed ticket corresponding to the date and time scheduled for the crossing. The port recommends contacting the shipping company in advance to confirm the reservation before traveling to the facilities.
Since August 18, part of the necessary procedures for boarding is performed in the Méditerranée rest area, located before travelers arrive at the port area. In this zone, teams from the shipping companies operating connections with Algeciras work alongside personnel from the Tanger Med Port Authority.
Passengers can manage their tickets there, confirm their departure date and time, carry out certain administrative and commercial procedures, and check in before continuing their journey to the terminals. The service will remain operational until September 6.
This organization incorporates the procedure for confirmed tickets, with which passengers are distributed according to the available capacity on the vessels and the schedules of the crossings. The coordination between the reception area and the port facilities allows for a gradual adjustment of vehicle and passenger flows to the scheduled departures.
Once in Tanger Med, travelers complete the corresponding controls for customs, police, and border services before accessing the boarding areas. The management also incorporates digital tools, including an optical character recognition system aimed at processing vehicles and facilitating the verifications carried out during the control process.
According to data reported last Sunday, some travelers completed the journey from the port entrance to the boarding dock in a time that did not exceed 45 minutes.
The Marhaba service also includes social and health assistance for passengers. Since the start of the operation, 50,399 people have received some form of medical or social assistance. Among them, 6,062 required medical attention, 2,373 were assisted with customs-related procedures, and another 478 received transportation-related support.
In the case of bus journeys, 3,961 passengers traveling on 72 coaches and 11 minibuses have been assisted in the rest area before continuing to Tanger Med to board for Algeciras.
The accumulated figures for Marhaba 2026 show the scale of summer movements between Morocco and Europe. By August 22, the arrival in the Kingdom of 3,539,761 Moroccans residing abroad had been recorded. Of this total, 51.25% entered the country by sea, representing around 1.81 million travelers.
With the return phase now concentrated in the last weeks of August, Tanger Med expects the days between this Tuesday the 25th and Saturday the 29th to register high pressure on maritime connections to Europe. The main recommendation from the port is to plan the journey in advance, consult the traffic forecast, and travel only with the confirmed ticket and departure time.
