It has been two months since Morocco, without warning, halted activity in the Ceuta and Melilla customs In the midst of the OPE (Customs Office) rollout, the business community in both autonomous cities continues to feel the impact of a slowdown that, far from clearing up, keeps the promised "customs normalization" in the air.
Meanwhile, on the sea front, the following are taking place: customs control operations and internal problems emerge: inspections of suspicious cargo ships, drug seizures floating in the Strait, tax fraud involving fuel, and a heated debate over the presence of asbestos on Customs Surveillance vessels. A tense panorama that combines operational pressure, uncertainty, and the new e-commerce research of the European Commission.
Ceuta and Melilla: promises, limits, and a brake that stifles trade
The road has been tortuous since Morocco closed the Melilla commercial customs and, a year later, the "atypical trade" at the Ceuta border was put to an end. After the pandemic closure of 2020, the reopening to people came in May 2022, but the passage of goods did not begin until the beginning of this year and then only in dribs and drabs. The latest setback came in July, coinciding with the OPE, leaving both border crossings—Tarajal and Beni Ensar—in a operational ambiguity which frustrates businesses and local governments.
Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares denied a definitive closure in mid-July and defended that commercial activity is not incompatible with the OPE. However, no one in the Government has specified when and how stable flows will be restored. This lack of a timeline fuels the perception that the “normalization” remains stuck.
From the business side, the criticism is clear. The Ceuta Business Confederation believes that the customs office created "serves to show off, not to trade," and calls for rules. clear, stable and symmetrical that neither party can unilaterally alter. In Melilla, its employers' association maintains that what has happened since 2018 has been "an outrage", with testimonial operations such as some exported household appliances or imported fruits and vegetables, and with intermittent openings "when so decided in Rabat."
Another source of tension is in the travelers' regimeBusiness sources in Ceuta report that an internationally recognized framework for personal use quantities is not being respected, which deepens the feeling of unreliability and makes daily traffic difficult.
The numbers support the diagnosis: since January they have been registered in Melilla 19 freight crossings (only 7 to Morocco) and in Ceuta 42 crosses, with a single movement originating in the autonomous city. Figures that show a minimum boot and without continuity.
Customs surveillance: operations at sea and labor fronts
In parallel with the land blockade, maritime controls have been intensified. The cargo ship Lila Mumbai, under the Liberian flag, was first detained in Ceuta and then transferred to the Algeciras Bay for logistical reasons. The operation involved the Customs Surveillance, two vessels from the Civil Guard and the GEAS. The objective: to compare the cargo and verify whether what was declared matches what was transported, in compliance with the arms embargo controls dictated by the UN. If irregularities are confirmed, confiscations could be ordered and the immobilization of the ship.
In the waters surrounding the Rock, Gibraltar Customs (HM Customs) seized a bale with 40 kilos of cannabis, located by the crew of HMC Sentinel about three miles south of Europa Point. This action, as part of routine patrols, highlights the constant pressure on routes used by drug trafficking in the Strait.
Also in terms of taxation, a joint operation in the outer port of A Coruña allowed intervention 5.600 liters of premium diesel for improper use in construction vehicles. The Civil Guard and the Customs and Excise Department issued several reports for violations of the Excise Tax Law and the industrial regulations, after detecting irregular deposits and fuel marked for unauthorized uses.
The other major controversy points to workplace safety: inspections ordered by the DAVA have identified asbestos on several Customs Surveillance vessels, with five casualties in northern Spain and the focus on the special operations vessel Petrel, half a century old. UGT denounces an evaluation “superficial"which would ignore critical areas; the AEAT replies that the reviews are carried out by a specialized company and that monitoring is structural, without risk to crews, in addition to preparing occupational health reports.
Another battle is being fought in the courts: a criminal complaint was filed provisionally dismissed as no solid evidence was found, the union has turned to social media. UGT also criticizes the limited scope of specific health surveillance and the replacement of withdrawn units by vessels in "poor condition", which, in his opinion, transfers the crews from a carcinogenic risk to a mechanical one and structural.
The picture left by these fronts is one of customs under constant pressure: blockade in Ceuta and Melilla with political and business uncertainty; deployments in the Strait against illicit trafficking and tax fraud; and open debates on prevention and occupational health Within the fleet itself. The resolution of each step—normalizing transit with Morocco, maintaining effective controls, and strengthening equipment security—will determine the customs situation in the coming months.
