Spain Bolsters Naval Presence Near Disputed Islands Claimed by Morocco

The Vigia patrol boat of the Spanish Navy is on a mission of maritime surveillance and protection of national maritime areas of interest, indicates the Defense staff. The patrol boat will sail around the Spanish islands and rocks claimed by Morocco, as well as the exclusive economic zone (EEZ), specifies the same source quoted by El Debate.

The ship will intensify its mission on the Vélez de la Gomera rock, located between the cities of Ceuta and Melilla and off the coast of Nerja in Malaga, details the Spanish Navy, stating that this rock is the smallest border in the world connecting the African coast. Originally, it was an island, but a violent earthquake that occurred in 1930 caused a 85-meter wide piece of land to emerge, it is reported.

Morocco had tried to annex the Vélez de la Gomera rock to its territory. On August 29, 2012, a group of seven individuals, members of the self-proclaimed Committee for the Liberation of Ceuta and Melilla, managed to reach the rock and plant a Moroccan flag there. The reaction of the Spanish army did not wait. The Moroccan flag was quickly removed and four of the seven "invaders" were arrested.

But Morocco does not give up and continues to claim the Vélez de la Gomera rock, as well as the occupied enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, the Chafarinas Islands and other territories under Spanish sovereignty. Since late January, the Spanish Navy has sent a patrol boat permanently based in the port of Melilla, dedicated to maritime surveillance and security operations in Spanish waters in North Africa.