Definition
Operation Crossing the Strait (Operación Paso del Estrecho, OPE) is the scheme Spain organises every summer, from 15 June to 15 September, to manage the journey of residents of Europe of Maghrebi origin who cross to Morocco and Algeria for their holidays and return afterwards.
It is coordinated by Protección Civil, Spain’s civil protection service, with the participation of the port authorities, the shipping lines, the security forces and the health and social services. It has two phases, the outbound and the return, with peak days on which rest areas and waiting car parks are opened and tickets are made interchangeable between shipping lines.
The ports of Algeciras and Tarifa handle most of the passengers and vehicles, and Almería, Málaga, Motril, Valencia, Alicante, Ceuta and Melilla also take part. The figure that accompanies this page is that of all passenger traffic at the Spanish ports on the Strait throughout the year, of which the OPE is the busiest period.
The figure · August 2026
Year to date · January–August 2026
5.74 million passengers
August 2026 only
1.54 million passengers
First port
4.51 million passengers
Passenger vehicles (the cars carried on ferries)
1.3 million vehicles
Passengers across the Strait of Gibraltar in 2026
The Spanish ports on the Strait (Bahía de Algeciras, including Tarifa, and Ceuta) received 5.74 million passengers in the year to August 2026, 5.7% less than in the same period of 2025. In August alone, the figure was 1.54 million passengers, 8% less than in August 2025.
The full ranking, the trend and the table are in the indicator Passengers across the Strait of Gibraltar. To explore the data in detail, see PortStats · Bahía de Algeciras.