HIBAPRESS
A number of international transport truck drivers have complained about the waiting conditions, which they described as "exhausting," in the vicinity of the Algeciras port, after being forced to spend long hours in queues before reaching the port gate, only to be asked to leave and return later.
According to circulated testimonies, some drivers wait for hours to enter, before being surprised at the gate that they are informed that the departure time of the ship has been postponed, which requires them to leave the port and return again at a later time. The same scenario is repeated again, according to the same testimonies, as the drivers return at the new appointment after additional waiting, only to be asked again to leave on the grounds that the time of sailing has not yet come. Drivers confirmed that this situation continued for more than three days for some of them, amid dissatisfaction with the lack of clear communication and the well-organized organization of the crossing process, considering that the waiting conditions "are managed without regard to the drivers' situation." In a related context, a driver revealed in a video clip that was circulated on social media that after days of confusion and congestion, an agreement was reached with the supervisors of the port to change the notification method. This procedure, according to the same source, stipulates that officials go out to inform the drivers present outside the port of the departure time of the ships assigned to them, instead of going to the gate and waiting for long hours in vain, and then asking them to leave and set a new appointment. Professionals hope that this solution will contribute to reducing the chaos and shortening the waiting periods, at a time when calls continue to improve the organization of the crossing of international transport trucks through this vital crossing between Europe and Morocco.
