Spain’s already-sodden transport network woke up to fresh chaos on Saturday as Atlantic storm “Marta” barrelled across the Peninsula. According to the Directorate-General of Traffic (DGT), 168 roads were closed at the morning peak – 137 of them in Andalucía – after 48 hours of incessant rain triggered flash-floods, rockfalls and mudslides. Key arteries such as the A-48 near Vejer de la Frontera (Cádiz), the A-44 in Sierra Mágina (Jaén) and stretches of the trans-Andalusian A-32 were impassable, forcing heavy goods vehicles onto lengthy diversions and bringing holiday traffic to a stand-still.
Severe maritime conditions compounded the disruption. The Port Authority of Algeciras cancelled every sailing to Tanger-Med on safety grounds while neighbouring Tarifa – the quickest sea-bridge between Europe and Africa – entered its sixth consecutive day without passenger services. Although ferries to Ceuta continued to operate, freight forwarders reported 12-hour backlogs for trucks carrying perishable goods destined for North Africa.
Amid the travel turmoil, making sure that passports, visas and other entry documents are in order can save precious time when rerouting becomes unavoidable. VisaHQ’s Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) streamlines visa applications, renewals and travel authorisations entirely online, helping both holiday-makers and business travellers stay paperwork-ready so they can take the first available flight or ferry once services resume.
![Storm ‘Marta’ Shuts 168 Spanish Roads and Suspends Algeciras–Tangier Ferries]()
Meteorologists warned that Marta’s slow-moving frontal system would keep Andalucía, Extremadura and the Straits of Gibraltar under orange and yellow warnings until at least Monday. The National Emergency Coordination Centre urged companies to activate remote-working plans after more than 11,000 people were evacuated from low-lying districts in Cádiz and Huelva overnight.
For business-travel managers the picture is grim. Courier firms are rerouting time-critical shipments through Valencia and Bilbao, while multinational employers with plants in the Bay of Cádiz industrial cluster have moved night-shift staff into hotel “bubbles” to guarantee production continuity. Mobility advisers are telling expatriates to avoid non-essential travel south of Madrid and to allow a minimum five-hour buffer when transiting by road between Seville and Algeciras over the weekend.
Looking ahead, the Spanish Weather Service (AEMET) expects the system to track north-east on Sunday, taking the heaviest downpours towards Catalonia and the Balearics. If that forecast verifies, ferry cancellations could expand to the Barcelona-Balearic lanes and push road closures above the 200-mark, prolonging disruption well into next week.
Severe maritime conditions compounded the disruption. The Port Authority of Algeciras cancelled every sailing to Tanger-Med on safety grounds while neighbouring Tarifa – the quickest sea-bridge between Europe and Africa – entered its sixth consecutive day without passenger services. Although ferries to Ceuta continued to operate, freight forwarders reported 12-hour backlogs for trucks carrying perishable goods destined for North Africa.
Amid the travel turmoil, making sure that passports, visas and other entry documents are in order can save precious time when rerouting becomes unavoidable. VisaHQ’s Spain portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/) streamlines visa applications, renewals and travel authorisations entirely online, helping both holiday-makers and business travellers stay paperwork-ready so they can take the first available flight or ferry once services resume.
Meteorologists warned that Marta’s slow-moving frontal system would keep Andalucía, Extremadura and the Straits of Gibraltar under orange and yellow warnings until at least Monday. The National Emergency Coordination Centre urged companies to activate remote-working plans after more than 11,000 people were evacuated from low-lying districts in Cádiz and Huelva overnight.
For business-travel managers the picture is grim. Courier firms are rerouting time-critical shipments through Valencia and Bilbao, while multinational employers with plants in the Bay of Cádiz industrial cluster have moved night-shift staff into hotel “bubbles” to guarantee production continuity. Mobility advisers are telling expatriates to avoid non-essential travel south of Madrid and to allow a minimum five-hour buffer when transiting by road between Seville and Algeciras over the weekend.
Looking ahead, the Spanish Weather Service (AEMET) expects the system to track north-east on Sunday, taking the heaviest downpours towards Catalonia and the Balearics. If that forecast verifies, ferry cancellations could expand to the Barcelona-Balearic lanes and push road closures above the 200-mark, prolonging disruption well into next week.
