State Committee for Operation 'Crossing the Strait' makes very positive assessment of the results of the operation and the effective coordination between different public bodies

By way of the main conclusion, the under-secretary highlighted that this year's operation finalised "without incident, under normal conditions and fluidly", which is undoubtedly the result of the experience accumulated over the course of these three decades in which the operation has become so consolidated it now serves as a benchmark at an international level and represents the largest movement of people in such a short period of time.

Specifically, the upward trend of recent years has continued with a slight increase in numbers on 2016 to exceed the figure of 3 million passengers. Between 15 June and 15 September this year, 3,000,082 passengers and 695,604 vehicles passed through the ports included under the OPE, an increase of 4.7% in passenger number and 6.1% in the number of vehicles.

Effective planning and coordination of resources

The members of the State Committee highlighted the effective planning that defined the appropriate measures for the needs of the operation and cooperation between the institutions involved, without forgetting the close collaboration with the Moroccan authorities, with which there was direct contact at all times.

The design of an effective fleet plan contributed to the success of the operation, which showed its ability to coordinate smooth and swift departures, particularly during the critical days, and adequate port infrastructures and services to guarantee the fluid embarkation of passengers and vehicles. In fact, the special areas in Los Barrios and Tarifa were ready and operational, but did not need to be called on.

The social and healthcare resources are also worthy of mention, as well as the strengthened deployment of the State law enforcement agencies which meant that the demands of the Anti-Terrorism Alert Level 4 were complied with. Furthermore, the Directorate-General of Traffic efficiently controlled highways and rest and information areas, and registered a decline in the number of accidents.

The Director-General of Civil Protection and Emergencies, Juan Díaz Cruz, thanked the members of the Committee for their work and the more than 10,000 people who took part in the operation, since their dedication was key to the smooth functioning of the operation, as well as the satisfactory response from citizens and the media to the recommendations made.

The meeting also served to draw conclusions and lessons learned with a view to the planning for OPE 2018 with the aim of maintaining the success of this operation, that has been carried out over the last 30 years.

Participating bodies

The meeting of the State Committee was attended by the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, Luis Aguilera, the Director-General of Civil Protection and Emergencies, Juan Díaz Cruz, and representatives of the State Secretariat of Security and the Directorates-General of the Police, Guardia Civil and Traffic of the Ministry of Home Affairs; of the National Security Department of the Presidency of the Government; of the Directorates-General of Defence Policy, of the Ministry of Defence; of the Merchant Navy, of the Ministry of Public Works; of Public Health, Quality and Innovation, of the Ministry of Health, Social Services and Equality; as well as of Spaniards Abroad and Consular and Migratory Services of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. A representative of the State Meteorology Agency (Spanish acronym: AEMET) of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, Food and Environmental Affairs also attended.

The Government Delegate in Ceuta, Nicolás Fernández Cucurull, and the Government Sub-delegates in Cadiz and Valencia also took part, together with the President of State Ports, José Llorca, and the Port Authorities of Algeciras, Malaga, Alicante and Melilla.

Non official translation