MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Spain resumes Gibraltar-Algeciras maritime link 40 years later

The service is due to begin October 15 with three/four trips a day

Maritime links between Gibraltar and Algeciras, Spain will be resumed next month after an interruption of 40 years, a spokesman for the Spanish shipping firm Transcoma confirmed to the Gibraltar Chronicle over the weekend.

Transcoma are based in Barcelona but have subsidiaries in Madrid, Alicante, Bilbao, Cartagena, Valencia, Castellon, Vigo and the Balearic Islands.

The service will be provided by a 150 passenger-seat catamaran and is due to begin October 15 with a frequency of three to four trips a day. Tickets will be priced between six and eight Euros, a company spokesman declared.

Speaking to the Chronicle, Gibraltar Minister for Transport Joe Holliday welcomed the initiative and said Transcoma were “a strong company with several maritime activities in the area”.

Mr Holliday noted that the restoration of the Gibraltar-Algeciras maritime link was a business opportunity and part of the trilateral (UK, Spain, Gib) Cordoba Agreement, stating that it was a positive development all round because it would add another entry/exit point to the Rock.

“They have been in negotiations with the Gibraltar Government for some months, and they have also been finalising the arrangements to obtain their permits on the Spanish side.”

The Minister said Gibraltar’s maritime administration had inspected the vessel to ensure that it met international standards and that “everything is pointing in the right direction”.

Company directors will be travelling to Gibraltar to meet Mr Holliday next week.

The withdrawal of the Algeciras ferry shortly after the Gibraltar/Spain frontier closure was part of the Franco Government’s campaign of restrictions and harassment against Gibraltar.