Gibraltar Strait: Morocco, Spain allocate 120M dirhams

Morocco's National Company for Studies of the Strait of Gibraltar (SNED) has allocated an investment budget of 120 million dirhams for 2027 to fund a new phase of technical and engineering studies for the fixed-link project connecting Morocco and Spain through a tunnel under the Strait of Gibraltar, according to official data in the sub-budget file for the equipment and water sector under the 2027 draft finance law, as reported by Al Yaoum 24.

The funding is part of the joint work programme between the Moroccan side, represented by SNED, and its Spanish counterpart SECEGSA, continuing institutional coordination between Rabat and Madrid on this transcontinental project, which has been discussed for decades without a final outcome.

Five areas in a three-year work plan

The 2027 budget is divided across five main areas within a three-year work plan, according to the sectoral budget file: reviewing studies carried out over previous decades, setting up an environmental framework specific to the project, exploring the geological formations beneath the tunnel's planned route, studying the project's economic, social, environmental, geostrategic and legal dimensions, and finally promoting it among international partners.

A team of just ten people running the file

Despite the scale of what is at stake, French outlet Bladi.net reports that the Moroccan company in charge of the studies has only ten staff in total: five senior managers, two engineers or equivalent, one mid-level manager and two support staff. A very small team given the scale of a project meant to link two continents through an undersea tunnel.

Geological challenges delay a final decision

The need for this volume of studies stems from the complex geology of the Strait of Gibraltar, where deep waters and complex rock formations in the area pose major technical and engineering challenges, making the completion of studies on the route, infrastructure, safety and economic feasibility an essential condition before any move toward actual construction, according to the explanation given by Al Yaoum 24.

What is the project's ultimate goal?

The fixed-link project ultimately aims to establish a permanent connection between northern Morocco and southern Spain across the Strait of Gibraltar, easing the movement of people and goods between Africa and Europe, opening new prospects for trade and logistics, and strengthening both countries' position within international transport networks, according to the sectoral budget file.

The project, discussed between Rabat and Madrid for decades without moving past preliminary technical stages, now hinges on the geological, environmental and economic data these new studies will produce, before it becomes clear whether building the first undersea tunnel linking two continents is actually feasible.