The southbound peak of Operación Paso del Estrecho (OPE*) 2026 has ended with slightly lower traffic than in 2025.
Up to 10 August, Spanish ports handled 1.58 million passengers and 400,825 vehicles, down 3.1% and 2.3% respectively year-on-year.
Algeciras and Tarifa accounted for more than 1.14 million passengers and 287,225 vehicles.
Algeciras remained the dominant gateway but recorded a 7.3% decline in passengers.
In contrast, Tarifa–Tanger Ville continued to gain ground, with passengers up 7.6% to 284,559 and vehicles up 12.4% to 49,109.
The growth was achieved despite fewer sailings, underlining the route’s increasingly important role in Strait traffic.
(*) Spain’s Operación Paso del Estrecho (OPE) is the annual summer operation managing the huge flow of travellers between Europe and North Africa across the Strait of Gibraltar.