Spain and Morocco Move Closer to Historic Undersea Tunnel Linking Europe and Africa

Spain and Morocco sign a pivotal agreement for a 38.5km undersea rail tunnel, targeting a 2035 completion to link the two continents in 30 minutes.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 12, 2026, 5:34 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from Morocco World News

Spain and Morocco Advance Submarine Tunnel Ambitions

The diplomatic and economic ties between Rabat and Madrid reached a significant milestone following the signing of a memorandum of understanding centered on the technical feasibility of a fixed link across the Strait of Gibraltar. According to the agreement signed between Morocco’s National Center for Scientific and Technical Research and Spain’s National Geographic Institute, both nations will prioritize joint studies on the geodynamic and seismic behavior of the strait. This move follows a high-level meeting in December 2025 where Spanish Transport Minister Óscar Puente and Moroccan counterpart Karim Zidane formalized the intent to push forward a project that has remained in the conceptual phase for nearly fifty years.

Technical Foundations and the Camarinal Ridge

A recent feasibility study conducted by Herrenknecht Ibérica has confirmed that boring through the Umbral de Camarinal, a submerged ridge connecting the two continents, is technically viable within the limits of modern engineering. Despite the positive outlook, researchers warned that the geological composition of the seabed, which includes complex layers of sandstone and clay, presents one of the most demanding environments for tunneling globally. To address these geological uncertainties, the Spanish government approved a 1.73 million euro allocation in March 2026 to fund specific technical studies managed by SECEGSA, the public entity dedicated to the strait’s fixed communication link.

Engineering Specifications of the Proposed Transit Link

The infrastructure is designed as a sophisticated rail system spanning approximately 65 kilometers in total length, with 27.7 kilometers situated directly beneath the sea. At its deepest point, the tunnel would descend to 475 meters below sea level, protected by a minimum rock cover of 175 meters. The design calls for two independent single-track railway tubes connected to a central service gallery for maintenance and emergency evacuations. According to technical documents, these tubes would be linked by cross-passages every 340 meters, ensuring a robust safety framework for a transit journey that is expected to take only 30 minutes between the two countries.