A striking claim has circulated across several Spanish media outlets, suggesting that an €800 million undersea tunnel could link Morocco and Portugal. However, the absence of any official sources, combined with clear geographic and economic inconsistencies, points to an unfounded story, likely stemming from a misinterpreted viral video. DR ‹ › In recent days, claims that Morocco and Portugal are planning to build an undersea tunnel linking the two countries, with a budget of €800 million, have been widely shared across online media. The source of the story appears to be a report by Okdiario, which mentioned the possible launch of an «undersea highway» between the two nations. However, one key element is missing: there is no official source backing the claim. Neither Moroccan nor Portuguese authorities, whether ministries, infrastructure agencies, or political leaders, have confirmed such a project. For an initiative of this scale, that absence is telling. Other outlets, including El Español and Morocco World News, have simply echoed the same information without verification, in some cases repeating it almost word for word. An unrealistic budget The announced budget of €800 million (less than 9 billion dirhams) raises immediate doubts. By comparison, the long-studied tunnel project under the Strait of Gibraltar, linking Tangier to Tarifa, is estimated to cost between €7.5 billion and €10 billion. In other words, a much shorter and more feasible project is expected to cost roughly ten times more. A geographic mismatch The geography also undermines the claim. The Algarve coast, cited as the Portuguese endpoint, lies more than 200 kilometers from Tangier in a straight line. By contrast, the Strait of Gibraltar at its narrowest point is only about 15 kilometers wide. Building a 200-kilometer subsea tunnel would be an unprecedented engineering challenge. For reference, the world's longest undersea tunnel, Japan's Seikan Tunnel, measures 54 kilometers, while the Channel Tunnel is 50 kilometers. The proposed Gibraltar tunnel would span 42 kilometers, including 27.7 kilometers underwater. Such projects typically rely on rail, not road, for safety and cost reasons. Road tunnels require larger diameters, complex ventilation systems to handle exhaust, and extensive fire safety infrastructure. Rail systems, on the other hand, allow for greater capacity, efficiency, and safety. Little economic justification Beyond the technical hurdles, the project also lacks a clear economic rationale. Trade and passenger flows between Europe and Morocco are largely routed through Spain, which serves as the main logistical gateway between the two regions. Portugal does not play a comparable role. A direct tunnel would largely duplicate existing routes, as travelers can already drive from southern Portugal to Tarifa and cross to Tangier by ferry. A viral rumor Further investigation suggests the story may have originated from a viral video posted on Facebook by a Portuguese influencer on April 22. In the video, the supposed tunnel project is mentioned, only to be debunked by the creator himself at the end. This key detail appears to have been overlooked in the initial reporting. In the absence of any official confirmation, the Morocco–Portugal tunnel looks less like a real project and more like a rumor that took on a life of its own.
