Moroccan warships breached safety rules in Spain's Ceuta waters: Report
- Spanish Navy patrol boat narrowly avoided collision with Moroccan military vessel during incursions in July, August, according to El Pais
By Melike Pala
BRUSSELS (AA) - Moroccan warships that entered Spanish territorial waters off Ceuta in late July and early August switched off their Automatic Identification System (AIS) and "ignored" repeated radio calls from Spanish naval forces, daily El Pais reported on Monday.
The incidents took place on July 30 and 31, coinciding with a migration crisis in which more than 70,000 people entered the Spanish autonomous city.
The Moroccan vessels reportedly disabled their AIS transponders, which normally transmit a ship's identity, position, course and speed.
Although the system is not mandatory for warships, it is widely regarded as an important safety measure for preventing collisions, particularly in busy shipping lanes such as the Strait of Gibraltar, according to the newspaper.
The vessels also failed to respond to repeated calls from Spanish naval forces over maritime VHF Channel 16, which is designated for distress, emergency and safety communications and is monitored by vessels at sea, it added.
According to sources cited by El Pais, the incursions were "deliberate, repeated and sustained" over several days, rather than isolated incidents or accidental entries into Spanish waters.
During one of the encounters, the Spanish Navy patrol boat narrowly avoided colliding with a Moroccan military vessel while attempting to drive it out of the area.
The 20-meter-long patrol boat, weighing 40 tons and carrying a crew of 10, was operating at sea amid what sources described as dangerous maneuvers and high speeds, creating the risk of a serious collision.
According to the same sources, several fishermen reportedly said Moroccan authorities had informed them they were authorized to operate in the waters, which Spain considers its sovereign territory.
Amid growing concerns over the situation at sea, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares raised the issue with his Moroccan counterpart, expressing Madrid's protest and concern, according to the newspaper.
The Moroccan vessels withdrew from Ceuta's waters towards the end of the first week of August, following talks between senior military officials from the two countries.