Under pressure from humanitarian NGOs, Spain’s Civil Protection service has started removing improvised shelters and abandoned belongings from Ceuta’s main beaches to pave the way for structured tented camps with water, electricity and medical points, according to the Centre for European Democracy Studies. The clean-up follows reports that tides were washing debris into the port channel, hampering ferry manoeuvres. Contractors have 72 hours to install raised flooring and modular sanitary units, after which migrants camping on the seafront will be transferred from informal clusters to rows of numbered tents. Officials claim the re-organisation will speed up identification because case-workers and translators can now work station-to-station rather than searching the shoreline. However, some NGOs fear the new layout resembles detention more than care. From a mobility standpoint, port operators expect fewer navigation restrictions once the beach clearing is complete, potentially shortening ferry delays that have plagued freight and passenger services since August.
