Morocco: Smuggling networks use jet skis to carry migrants to Spain

People smuggling networks in Morocco have turned to jet skis to ferry migrants to European shores, despite a tightening of surveillance measures in the Mediterranean Sea.

The speedy watercraft is often used across the Strait of Gibraltar and to reach the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta, departing from well-known Moroccan beaches including Fnideq, M'diq, and Belyounech.

Use of jet skis to transport migrants increases during the summer as smugglers are able to use tourists that crowd the beaches as cover to whisk migrants away, The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.

Morocco is a transit country for many migrants from both sub-Saharan and North Africa trying to make it to Europe, with Spain often their first step in reaching countries further north. In 2022, almost 29,000 migrants made it to Spanish territory from Morocco.

The Strait of Gibraltar separates Morocco and Spain by just 15 kilometres, making it a key transit route for migrants looking to reach Europe.

Thousands of migrants perish every year in journeys across the Med due to overcrowded boats, bad weather, and poor security. Many migrants and smugglers crossing the Mediterranean are intercepted and detained by authorities.

The use of jet skis is no new phenomenon, but it has increased significantly since 2015, as the nimble watercraft are cheaper, faster, safer, and stealthier to use than more conventional vessels.

"The cost of migration by these means is much lower than resorting to the services of human smugglers who use so-called traditional boats, some of which are old," Chakib El-Khayari, an expert on Moroccan immigration affairs told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Attempting to reach Europe via jet ski can cost up to €10,000 ($10,903) per person, according to the report.

Three weeks ago, the Moroccan public prosecution in Tetouan handed jail sentences to three Spanish jet ski operators for smuggling people out from Moroccan coastal towns.

Morocco's navy is reportedly on high alert as smuggling networks race against time to get migrants across waters before the end of the summer season.