Port of Tarifa
File:Puerto de Tarifa plano 2018.png
The Port of Tarifa ({{langx|es|Puerto de Tarifa}}) is a commercial harbor for fishing and passenger boats, located in the Andalusian town of Tarifa. It is managed by the Port Authority of Algeciras (ABPA) and is the closest European port to North Africa and on the main shipping route to Tangier in Morocco and Ceuta.{{cite web|url=http://www.europapress.es/sociedad/noticia-cerrado-puerto-tarifa-cadiz-temporal-20130304102501.html|title=Cerrado el Puerto de Tarifa (Cádiz) por el temporal |publisher=Europapress.es|accessdate=8 May 2013}} It is recognized as a Schengen border crossing point.{{cite web |title=LIST OF BORDER CROSSING POINTS |url=https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/9a10ebd8-7b98-4b21-a1e7-e61192a81b75_en?filename=handbook-annex-04_en_1.pdf |website=home-affairs.ec.europa.eu |access-date=19 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250417072200/https://home-affairs.ec.europa.eu/document/download/9a10ebd8-7b98-4b21-a1e7-e61192a81b75_en?filename=handbook-annex-04_en_1.pdf |archive-date=17 April 2025 |page=29 |format=PDF |date=8 April 2025 |url-status=live}}
History
In May 429 A.D. the port was the gathering point of Geiseric and his Vandal army as they made their way to plunder in Africa.{{cite book|last=Heather|first=Peter|title=The Fall of the Roman Empire a New History of Rome and the Barbarians.|year=2005|publisher=Oxford University Press, USA|location=Oxford|isbn=0199741182|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SqV4bnUX8AcC&q=port+of+tarifa}}
In 1811, during the Peninsular War, British forces created a garrison at the port and successfully defended it from French forces.{{cite book |last1=R. Musteen |first1=Jason |title=Nelson's Refuge: Gibraltar in the Age of Napoleon |date=15 October 2011 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |isbn=9781612510842 |url=https://www.google.com/books/edition/Nelson_s_Refuge/HThZ_inxa14C?hl=en&gbpv=0 |access-date=19 April 2025 |chapter=Chapter 10 - 'An Appendage of This Garrison' |via=Google Books}}
In 2024, six autonomous reef-monitoring structures (ARMS) were placed in the port by departments of the University of Cádiz and the Regional Government of Andalusia, with collaboration from ABPA, in order to study the Strait of Gibraltar's biodiversity and detect the arrival of invasive species.{{cite web |title=CEI·MAR, UCA, Junta y APBA instalan seis arrecifes submarinos artificiales en Tarifa para estudiar biodiversidad en entornos portuarios |url=https://www.uca.es/noticia/cei%C2%B7mar-uca-junta-y-apba-instalan-seis-arrecifes-submarinos-artificiales-en-tarifa-para-estudiar-biodiversidad-en-entornos-portuarios/ |website=University of Cádiz |access-date=19 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240708120237/https://www.uca.es/noticia/cei%C2%B7mar-uca-junta-y-apba-instalan-seis-arrecifes-submarinos-artificiales-en-tarifa-para-estudiar-biodiversidad-en-entornos-portuarios/ |archive-date=8 July 2024 |date=8 July 2024 |url-status=live |language=es}}
Ferry services
Ferry routes are operated year-round between Tarifa and Tangier. The crossing usually takes one hour, and there are up to 17 crossings every day.{{cite web |title=Tarifa |url=https://www.ferryhopper.com/en/destinations/spain/tarifa |website=ferryhopper.com |access-date=19 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115021549/https://www.ferryhopper.com/en/destinations/spain/tarifa |archive-date=15 January 2025 |url-status=live}} The services were suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic and resumed in April 2022.{{cite news |last1=Kasraoui |first1=Safaa |title=Spain Celebrates Arrival of 1st Ship Carrying Passengers From Tarifa to Tangier |url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2022/04/47527/spain-celebrates-arrival-of-1st-ship-carrying-passengers-from-tarifa-to-tangier/ |access-date=19 April 2025 |work=Morocco World News |date=12 April 2022 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/IvIi6 |archive-date=18 April 2025 |url-status=live}}
In 2025, the ferry operator Baleària announced that it would operate two electric ferries on the route, creating a sustainable transport corridor between Spain and Morocco.{{cite news |title=Balearia to introduce electric ferries on Tarifa-Tangier Ville route |url=https://www.bairdmaritime.com/passenger/ro-pax/balearia-to-introduce-electric-ferries-on-tarifa-tangier-ville-route |access-date=19 April 2025 |work=Baird Maritime |date=28 January 2025 |archive-url=https://archive.ph/FVZ1o |archive-date=18 April 2025 |url-status=live}}
Port facilities
The port is split into three different areas. The ferry port is open only to passengers and has a parking lot and a terminal building with ticketing offices, toilets, customs offices, and a café. The port also has a fishing port and a marina.{{cite web |title=Tarifa - Port |url=https://www.andalucia.com/tarifa/port.htm |website=andalucia.com |access-date=19 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240916094929/https://andalucia.com/tarifa/port.htm |archive-date=16 September 2024 |url-status=live}}
References
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