Spain-Morocco Undersea Tunnel Carries Hefty €15 Billion Price Tag
La Razón reports that the tunnel between Spain and Morocco represents more than just an engineering achievement — it's a significant player on the global geostrategic scene.
The newspaper spoke of how the project will strengthen connections between Europe and Africa, facilitating trade, freight transport, and tourism while accelerating rail integration between the continents, despite Morocco's railway network not yet being fully electrified.
Interest in the tunnel project surged after FIFA accepted the joint Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid to host the 2030 World Cup. However, the tunnel won't be ready in time for the tournament.
The intercontinental connection aims to boost economic exchanges between the countries by speeding up the movement of both passengers and goods. Currently, ferry services handle transport across the strait.
Read also: FIFA: Joint Morocco-Portugal-Spain Bid Exceeds World Cup Hosting Standards
According to La Razón, the project will also promote economic development throughout the Strait of Gibraltar region, benefiting both southern Spain and northern Morocco.
Engineers project the tunnel won't be completed before 2040, even if construction begins soon. The Herrenknecht Ibérica, a Spanish subsidiary of the German firm Herrenknecht, is overseeing the project and recently launched two technical studies to determine feasibility and finalize engineering details.
This delay is reportedly due to some significant technical challenges, as a result of the tunnel's location at the boundary between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates along the Azores-Gibraltar fault line.
This massive infrastructure project represents one of the most challenging engineering feats currently planned in the Mediterranean region. If completed, it would create the first fixed link between Africa and Europe, potentially transforming trade relations between the continents. Tags: Gibraltar StraitMorocco spainUndersea tunnel
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