After a 49-year hiatus, Morocco, Spain relaunch undersea tunnel project

After 43-year-old of hiatus, Spain and Morocco finally relaunched the tunnel project linking the two sides of the Strait of Gibraltar.

Last week, the Moroccan parliament appointed Abdel Kabir Zahoud as Director General of the National Company for Studies of the Strait of Gibraltar to re-examine the sea tunnel project linking Morocco and Spain across the strait.

Zahoud is expected to collaborate with the Spanish Society of Studies for Fixed Communication through the Strait of Gibraltar (SEGESCA), which is in charge of the project. 

The tunnel was first conceptualised in a joint declaration dating back to 1979.

For four decades, diplomatic and political disaccords have postponed the execution of the 38-kilometre-long tunnel.

As the two kingdoms aspire to build a stronger friendship, the undersea tunnel stretching from Morocco's Tangier to Spain's Tarifa is becoming a reality.

"The appointment of a director of the National Company for Studies of the Strait of Gibraltar is a sign that Madrid and Rabat are moving forward to strengthen their cooperation," Azzedine Khamrich, an expert in International Relations, told The New Arab.

"This tunnel is promising on many levels as it can benefit both countries, especially at the level of revitalising traffic and economic exchange," added the expert.

Expected to open in 2030, the tunnel will extend for 27 kilometres undersea with a maximum depth of 475 metres. 

In 2021, the state-owned company SEGESCA received European funds from the Spanish Recovery Plan to conduct new feasibility studies on the tunnel's infrastructure. 

Last month, Spain's draft budget for 2023 allocated €750,000 to SEGESCA. 

The Spanish daily El Diario reported that the funds were allocated to finance new preliminary studies that take into account recent advances in technology and the earlier feasibility studies conducted around 30 years ago.

The Spanish government is reportedly willing to take the "final" and "definitive" steps to implement the pending project, adding that it is set to introduce modifications to the initially planned route. 

"The technical and technological advances recorded in the last 15 years in the fields of construction, management, operation and maintenance of underground and undersea projects represent a spectacular leap," added a spokesperson from Madrid's government last month.

In March, Spain and Morocco ended a year-long dispute after Madrid shifted its position on Western Sahara as it voiced support for Rabat's autonomy plan in the territory.

The undersea tunnel will likely be added to the agenda of the visit of Spain's prime minister Pedro Sanchez to Rabat this month.