Spain lodges protest with UK over three incidents near disputed Gibraltar waters
Madrid, Aug 30 (EFE). The Spanish foreign ministry has lodged a formal protest with the United Kingdom’s embassy over what Madrid deems to be three “serious incidents” in August in waters near the Rock of Gibraltar.
According to a ministry source in touch with EFE, a verbal note issued on Monday conveyed the “strongest protest” by the ministry, led by foreign minister José Manuel Albares, regarding the activities of several vessels that allegedly crossed into Spanish waters, insisting that Spain does not recognize British/Gibraltar maritime space except in the waters inside the port.
The Rock of Gibraltar, a small piece of land situated at the southern end of the Spanish coast, has been under British control since 1713, even as Spain asserts its sovereignty over it.
Outlining the three incidents that prompted these diplomatic protests, the Spanish foreign ministry indicated that on Aug.1, the Gas Venus methane tanker caused a significant fuel spill in the waters of Algeciras Bay while refueling from another ship at sea.
The second incident unfolded on Aug. 14, when the the Colombo II vessel of the Customs Surveillance Service (SVA) was “obstructed” in its duties, as per the verbal note, by three vessels belonging to the United Kingdom Customs Service and the Royal Navy, triggering what was described as a “risky situation.”
The third episode that resulted in a protest happened on Aug. 21 and involved the harassment of the fishing boat Mi Daniela by “British State vessels.”
These vessels operated within Spanish waters near the rock in a “clear violation” of Spanish sovereignty and exceeding their jurisdiction, the note claimed.
The Spanish protest underlined that, after verifying incidents, the country’s stance on Gibraltar “remains unchanged.”
The note pointed out that Spain does not acknowledge any rights or situations that the United Kingdom claims concerning maritime spaces of Gibraltar not covered by Article X of the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht.
Furthermore, the note asserted that Spain would persist in exercising “its sovereignty” in Spanish waters as it has done “since times immemorial.” EFE
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