MADRID, Spain – The Spanish government has seized operational control of the port of Ceuta to facilitate the installation of temporary shelter tents capable of accommodating more than 1,000 migrants, following a local authority’s refusal to authorise the project. Minister of Transport and Sustainable Mobility Óscar Puente signed an order on Saturday invoking emergency powers to override the port’s governing body and proceed with the installation on the Poniente dock.
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The directive, issued under Article 73.3 of the State Ports and Merchant Marine Law, authorises the deployment of tents across 16,000 square metres of public port domain. The move came just one day after the Ceuta Port Authority’s Board of Directors, which is controlled by the city of Ceuta itself, voted against the installation on Friday. The board had rejected the request on grounds that it was incompatible with normal port operations and subsequently referred the matter to the state-level body Puertos del Estado.
The Ministry of Transport’s order explicitly states that the occupation aims to facilitate the temporary installation of necessary elements for the execution of functions legally assigned to the Directorate General for Humanitarian Assistance and the International Protection Reception System. The designated area will include not only sleeping quarters but also rest zones, nursing and dispensary facilities, social intervention and care areas, sanitary services, offices for service provider staff and a security booth.
@rtvenoticias 🔸El Gobierno toma el control del puerto de Ceuta para la ubicación temporal de migrantes. La orden, firmada al amparo del artículo 73.3 de la Ley de Puertos del Estado y la Marina Mercante, autoriza la utilización de unos 16.000 metros cuadrados de dominio público portuario para la instalación de carpas que, según fuentes del Ministerio de Transportes que cita EFE, podrían acoger a un millar de migrantes. La decisión del Ministerio de Transportes se produce tras el rechazo de la Autoridad Portuaria de Ceuta y el presidente Vivas. #ceuta #puerto #migrantes #noticias ♬ sonido original – RTVE Noticias
Despite the local port authority’s objections, Puertos del Estado issued a report concluding that the projected temporary occupation could increase certain risks associated with the protection of critical infrastructure, sensitive installations and port operations. However, the same report ultimately determined that overarching general interest reasons justified granting the requested authorisation, provided that necessary measures were adopted to guarantee compatibility with safety, security and normal port operations.
Following the analysis of this report and additional documentation, the Ministry of Transport decided to heed the request submitted by the Secretary of State for Migration. Ministry sources cited the exceptional nature of the situation in Ceuta as the driving factor behind the decision to assume command and override the local board’s veto. The order authorises the use of a section of the port’s service zone that is already open to the city, effectively bypassing the Ceuta Port Authority’s administrative blockade.
The directive concludes with a legal notice stipulating that an optional appeal for reconsideration may be filed within one month of notification, or alternatively, a direct contentious-administrative appeal may be lodged before the Contentious-Administrative Chamber of the National High Court within two months of notification. The government’s intervention underscores the urgency of the migrant accommodation crisis in the North African enclave, where surging arrivals have overwhelmed existing reception facilities and prompted increasingly tense confrontations between local and national authorities over the handling of the humanitarian situation.
