Latest news with #SECEGSA
Newsweek
12-05-2025
- Business
- Newsweek
Europe and Africa Could Be Linked by Ambitious Underwater Tunnel
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Spain has begun investigating the possibility of connecting Europe to Africa via an underwater tunnel to Morocco. On Saturday, the Spanish government allocated €1.6 million (roughly $1.7 million) to a new feasibility study for a tunnel from the Iberian Peninsula to Morocco, the closest crossing between the two continents. The Context The idea of a crossing between Spain and Morocco has existed for decades, as the two countries are the closest Europe and Africa come along the Mediterranean coastline. The underwater tunnel would run 27.7 kilometers (17.2 miles) beneath the Mediterranean Sea. A render of an underwater tunnel, currently being explored to connect Spain to Morocco. A render of an underwater tunnel, currently being explored to connect Spain to Morocco. Morocco World News What To Know The proposed tunnel would span the Strait of Gibraltar, linking southern Spain to northern Morocco, with hopes of boosting the economic and infrastructural integration of both countries, which would then become gateways to new continents. The tunnel, which is sometimes dubbed the Strait of Gibraltar crossing, is being championed by the Spanish Minister of Transport, Minister Óscar Puente, who is leading the initiative through the Spanish Company for Studies on Fixed Communication across the Gibraltar Strait (SECEGSA), the agency responsible for fixed communication studies across the Strait. The feasibility work is being financed through the European Union's Next Generation funds. SECEGSA said that the investigation would determine "the feasibility of excavating the breaches by reviewing the considerations of the 2007 preliminary project regarding the construction method, as well as the flysch formations." The project's costs have not yet been defined, but an estimate of €6 billion ($6.6 billion) to €15 billion (16.6 billion) is reported. For comparison, the Channel Tunnel linking France to the United Kingdom was built for £5 billion in 1994, roughly $15 billion after inflation. The Channel Tunnel, which is 50 kilometers long, was built over a six-year period. The Strait of Gibraltar crossing would be around half the length, though the floor of the Mediterranean may present more building hazards than that of the Channel. In November last year, the Spanish government rented four seismometers for more than €480,000 (about $533,000) so that the Strait of Gibraltar seabed could be accurately mapped for planning processes. The Strait of Gibraltar, as seen from space. The Strait of Gibraltar, as seen from space. Getty Images What People Are Saying The Spanish Ministry of Transport said in a statement: "This permanent link infrastructure across the Strait would constitute an essential link in the Euro-Mediterranean transport network. "The facilitation of passenger, goods and services flows will produce a quantitative and qualitative acceleration of the economy." What Happens Next SECEGSA hopes that the study into the tunnel's feasibility will be completed by June this year, though construction will take much longer to plan and complete. Previous suggestions of completion by 2030 have been rejected.
Morocco World
10-05-2025
- Business
- Morocco World
Spain Allocates €1.6 Million for Morocco-Spain Underwater Tunnel Study
Doha – Spain has allocated €1.6 million to study the viability of an underwater tunnel connecting Europe and Africa. As reported by Spanish news outlets, the Spanish Ministry of Transport, led by Óscar Puente, reduced the initial budget from €2.4 million after modifying some planned tasks. The ambitious project would create a submarine tunnel through the Strait of Gibraltar. This strategic connection would link Europe with Africa through one of the world's most important maritime crossings. The Spanish government is using European Next Generation funds to finance the technical support work. Ineco, a public company, will conduct the study to determine financial viability of construction alternatives. Two possible entry points are being considered on the Spanish side. One option is Algeciras with its strategic port and railway connections. The other is the coast near Tarifa, Europe's southernmost city. The tunnel would stretch 38.5 kilometers, with 27.7 kilometers running underwater. It would consist of two railway tunnels beneath the seabed. 'This permanent link infrastructure across the Strait would constitute an essential link in the Euro-Mediterranean transport network,' the Ministry of Transport stated. 'The facilitation of passenger, goods and services flows will produce a quantitative and qualitative acceleration of the economy.' Herrenknecht, the world-leading German company in tunnel development and implementation, is studying construction feasibility. They aim to complete their assessment by June, according to SECEGSA, the Spanish Company for Studies on Fixed Communication across the Gibraltar Strait. This work will complement Ineco's study, which will have physical and financial feasibility reports ready by summer. Their activities include 'the feasibility of excavating the breaches by reviewing the considerations of the 2007 preliminary project regarding the construction method, as well as the flysch formations,' according to SECEGSA. In November, the Iberian government proceeded to rent four seismometers for more than €480,000 to study the seabed of the Strait of Gibraltar. The rental contract with purchase option was awarded to TEKPAM Ingeniería SL, a Madrid-based company specializing in seismology, telecommunications, and solar energy. The project dates back to 1980 when Madrid and Rabat signed an agreement on the Europe-Africa fixed link project. This agreement created two national companies to study project feasibility: SECEGSA for Spain and the National Company for Studies of the Strait of Gibraltar (SNED) for Morocco. Since then, numerous studies have been conducted to 'understand the site's difficulties from a geological, oceanographic, seismic, and meteorological point of view,' as SECEGSA explains on its website. Deep land drilling, geotechnical tests, and experimental galleries in Tarifa and Tangier have been part of this work. In 2014, another deployment of three seismometers was carried out in collaboration with Spanish Navy vessels. Four decades of technical studies and renewed Commitment Several options, including both bridge and tunnel designs, were studied to connect the two shores of the Strait. Some sources suggest the final choice was a tunnel between Punta Paloma and Tangier. The project advanced significantly following the improved bilateral relations between Spain and Morocco. This progress came after President Pedro Sánchez's visit to Rabat in April 2022, which resolved a serious diplomatic crisis. During the High-Level Meeting between Spain and Morocco held in February 2023 in Rabat, then-Transport Minister Raquel Sánchez announced new momentum for the studies of what she described as a 'strategic project' for both countries. The project was reactivated in April of that year with a telematic meeting of the Spanish-Moroccan joint committee. The Ministry of Transport made it clear that these are only studies for now. New agreements between the two countries would be necessary for the tunnel's actual construction. One of the models inspiring the project is the Eurotunnel connecting France and the United Kingdom. That infrastructure, managed by a private company with business participation, is a key technical and financial precedent for the connection between Europe and Africa. Despite the new momentum, the tunnel project still faces numerous obstacles. The Strait's geology, seismic activity, channel depth, and the extremely high cost present enormous technical and financial challenges. The 2030 FIFA World Cup co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco has added more value to the project. However, experts agree it is unlikely to be ready by that time, given the project's complexity and the preliminary stage of studies. Current projections suggest completion could be pushed back to 2040. Read also: Spain-Morocco Undersea Tunnel Carries Hefty €15 Billion Price Tag Tags: Morocco Spain relationsspain Morocco tunnelStrait of Gibraltar
Ya Biladi
11-04-2025
- Business
- Ya Biladi
Morocco, Spain strengthen cooperation on strait of Gibraltar fixed link with new agreements
Morocco and Spain have strengthened their cooperation on the proposed fixed link across the Strait of Gibraltar by signing two new partnership agreements focused on digitalization and engineering studies. The agreements were signed Thursday in Madrid during a working visit by a Moroccan delegation led by Abdelkbir Zahoud, president of the National Company for the Studies of the Strait of Gibraltar (SNED). The visit included technical meetings between Moroccan and Spanish experts, chaired on the Spanish side by José Luis Goberna Caride, Executive Chairman of Spain's SECEGSA — the public body responsible for the fixed link project. The discussions centered on digitizing project documentation, establishing a future data management system, and advancing engineering studies for the potential undersea connection between the two countries. As part of the visit, a cooperation agreement was signed between Spain's Center for Studies and Experimentation in Public Works (CEDEX) and Morocco's Public Laboratory for Testing and Studies. The agreement covers joint research and technical studies in areas such as transportation infrastructure, geotechnics, railways, water resources, road safety, and environmental management. A second agreement was signed between the Polytechnic University of Madrid's School of Civil Engineering and Morocco's Hassania School of Public Works (EHTP). This partnership will support academic exchanges, joint research initiatives, and student internships, with a focus on strengthening technical and scientific collaboration on the Gibraltar project. The agreements are part of a broader exchange program between SNED and SECEGSA aimed at enhancing cross-border cooperation and aligning efforts among public institutions, engineering firms, universities, and research centers involved in the project. The initiative follows up on commitments made during the 43rd session of the Spanish-Moroccan Joint Committee on the Fixed Link, held in April 2023, where both sides reaffirmed their shared vision of developing a strategic transcontinental infrastructure.
