Spain awards contract to maintain military sites just 700 metres from Morocco
Spain has officially awarded a contract to maintain communications equipment at three military garrisons on islets claimed by Morocco. One of them is the Peñón de Alhucemas, just 700 metres off the Moroccan coast. Madrid has entrusted the work to a specialist company.
Spain’s Ministry of Defence has awarded a €37,416 contract to maintain the telescopic masts supporting communications antennas installed on the Peñón de Alhucemas, the Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera and the Chafarinas Islands. The contract, awarded on September 24, was made public this Monday, October 19, in the Spanish Official State Gazette (BOE).
These three military positions are located very close to the Moroccan coast. The Peñón de Alhucemas is 700 metres off the coast, while the Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera, 138 kilometres west of Melilla, is directly connected to Morocco by a narrow strip of land. The Chafarinas Islands are an archipelago of three islands off Ras El Ma.
Spain maintains permanent garrisons in these territories, whose sovereignty Morocco claims. The telescopic masts allow antennas to be raised to ensure communications for military detachments. Their acquisition was initiated in 2021 as part of efforts to upgrade equipment at these positions, Europa Press reports.
A Madrid company awarded contract for all three garrisons
The contract was awarded to Hispamast, a specialist company based in Campo Real, in the Madrid region. The company was the only bidder in this simplified tender. Price was the sole selection criterion, according to official documents.
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Hispamast was already familiar with these facilities. In June 2025, the same company was awarded a maintenance contract covering the same three sites for €59,750. The new contract is €22,334 lower than the previous year’s.
The communications masts add to the other infrastructure regularly maintained by the Spanish army on these islets. Madrid had allocated specific budgets for maintenance of the electrical installations, water supply systems and generators needed to keep the garrisons running.
